Inferno
by Inuyuke
Summary: Danny's family was killed in a freak accident at Fenton Works, and the only one left to take care of him is Vlad. Will Vlad finally have his chance to prove himself to Danny or will things end up going horribly wrong? Father/Son NOTE THE RATING CHANGE
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Oh god guys don't kill me for this please. This story will **not** be updated regularly. It's a distraction from the final installment to my AU stories... XDD' The third one's driving me a bit nuts I'm kinda stuck so yeah.

GO GO GO GO READ THIS AND HATE IT ITS OKAY.

format kinda inspired by my friend **QueenSkellington**. (srsly. Go read her story: **Me Myself and the Horde** because it is flippin' AMAZING. ) I like flashbacks okay fffffff.

Also haha sorry forgot to edit the spaces. Should flow better now. :: runs away::

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><p>It wasn't <em>his<em> fault.

But it felt like it was.

He watched as the flames leapt into the sky, consuming the building he had fought so desperately to save. The flames licking at the building had streaks of green playing through it, clearly showing the cause and effect of the fire.

Police and fire fighters had evacuated everyone in the surrounding buildings, declaring the building too far gone for them to try to save; they concentrated their efforts on keeping the flames from jumping to surrounding buildings.

Dead.

He wished he was with them; a paramedic had placed a blanket around his shoulders and pushed him down onto a gurney. The ambulances that had his family had already taken off for the hospital. The voices buzzed around him. Voices cooed trying to calm him down, get him to drink some water, trying to do _something_ to pull his eyes off of the fire.

The white coats finally moved in front of him, blocking his view of the building. He didn't blink. "..son?" He looked up realizing they were talking to him and having some of the words break through the fog in his numb mind. The paramedic, recognizing the blank look on his face spoke slower, pronouncing each word harder than normal. "What's your name, son?"

What _was_ his name? His jaw worked and his muscles moved, trying to form words, but none came to mind. He knew it started with a D, but what came after the D?

Oh, right. "Danny." He managed to croak out, looking up at the paramedic. Just then a beam broke in the burning building and it collapsed, causing a loud crash and sparks to fly everywhere. Fire fighters screamed at everyone to get back. The paramedic consulted with his partner, and they got Danny to lie down on the gurney.

They pushed the mobile bed inside of the ambulance and the emergency response vehicle kicked into action, driving away from the building. "Wait!" Danny sat up, staring out the small window in the back doors at the fire that was growing distant. "My family's in there!"

No, they're dead.

Shut up!

Danny wouldn't listen to the small voice of reason in his head as he turned to the man in the ambulance with him. "You have to go back- I have to save them!"

Danny didn't like the way the man watched him. It was a mixture of pity and sadness. Danny frowned.

"They've already gone ahead, Danny," he assured, gently forcing the panicked boy to lie down again. "They're going in for treatment," The man couldn't bring himself to tell Danny that his family had been killed in the explosion.

Danny coughed and rolled onto his side, squeezing his eyes closed and trying to forget the explosion that ravaged his home. He tried to forget flying home to see the flames lapping at the sky, tried to forget zooming in there to find them, tried to forget floating down to the lab and finding nothing but a raging inferno. He tried to forget passing out in the living room and changing back into human form, his flesh tingling as the flames licked at him.

He blacked out in the ambulance.

* * *

><p>"<em>Danny boy!" the voice was familiar, deep and tinged with child-like eagerness. Danny looked up from his bowl of cereal to see his father bumbling up the stairs and holding out a box. "Look! I call it the Ghost-Napper!"<em>

"_Why, what does it do?" Danny put down his spoon, apprehension gnawing at his stomach. His father had a bad tendency to start creating anti-ghost weapons that work __**only**__ when Danny was home. And then he __**insisted**__on trying it out on him. _

_Danny was surprised his dad hadn't figured out he was half a ghost yet. His father really __**was**__ an idiot. "It shoots out a net, electrifying the ghost until their power is gone, and then they're ripe for the picking!"_

_Danny gulped, his cereal forgotten as he stood up quickly from the table. That did NOT sound like something he wanted to stick around for. "I uh, I'd like to stay and watch dad, but I'm late for school! Uh yeah, haha, bye!" Danny grabbed his school bag off of the back of the chair and backed out of the kitchen._

"_But, Danny! This one works! I promise!" His dad's disappointed face haunted Danny's mind as he turned around, waving his hand in farewell. Jack wanted to prove to Danny that he wasn't a crazy fool with a laboratory in his basement. Jack felt that Danny was embarrassed by him, and he vowed to change that._

_He waddled down to the basement to work on something Danny would be __**proud**__ of._

* * *

><p>The beeping was boring into his brain, slowly driving him insane. No matter how he tried to turn, it wouldn't stop. There was something wrong with his arms. When they moved, something tugged on his skin. It was irritating to not be able to move them without the sickening feeling of something moving <em>under<em> his skin.

Danny harshly sucked air in through his teeth, cracking his eyes open to see unfamiliar white washed walls and a tilted ceiling. Danny gasped and sat up quickly, several wires attached to him popped off and the machine next to him set off a blaring alarm.

Several people rushed into the room and Danny's eyes went wide. They slowed down when they realized he had just pulled out the sensors instead of coding, and all but one left. The one walked over to him and smiled kindly. "I'm your nurse." She smiled, "May I put those back on?" She gestured to the wires hanging out of the now silent heart monitor. "You inhaled a lot of smoke, and we're worried you're going to go into an arrest."

Danny then noticed the uncomfortable tubes in his nose, and realised he wasn't exactly breathing himself. Arrest? What did she mean by that? Danny's mind fought the fog that had settled there since… yesterday? Had it just been a day? It felt like a life time.

"We're worried about your lungs," she explained as she gently reattached the monitor. "Danny… There's something I have to tell you." God this part of the job was never easy. "Your parents and sister didn't make it. I'm sorry."

Dead.

Danny looked at her through eyes long clouded with the haze that had settled over his mind. So that was it. They had died, just like he thought. The building was gone too. Fenton works burned to a crisp, like overdone bacon.

"Do you have anyone you can call?"

Danny licked his lips. There was his aunt who lived out in the middle of nowhere. He had only seen her a handful of times over his life, however, and knew she wouldn't want to take care of him. Who was left then? His father didn't have any relatives left alive. Danny looked at her. "Danny Fenton, that's my name." He didn't know what he was saying, but felt he needed to say it anyway.

The nurse looked taken aback by this and blinked a few times. "Y-yes," she confirmed, "That is your name."

"I don't have anyone to call." Danny whispered, staring at the far wall. Unless…

No.

He would not grovel to that man.

The nurse smiled kindly at him before leaving him to his thoughts. She knew from years of experience with trauma patients that she would get no more out of him at this point.

Danny licked his lips, his eyes widely flicking around the room, darting from each corner and to the ceiling, unsure about what was going on.

There was no way he'd ever call _him_. Never. He'd just rub his nose in it. Danny's eyes stung with tears that begged to be let out. His parents were gone. He'd never see their smiling faces at they brought up yet _another_ invention that might or might _not_ work.

Never eat his mother's delicious breakfasts again. Never see her smiling face as she explained how she had come up with the latest ecto-firing weapon, unknowingly scaring her son senseless.

He'd never hear Jazz's psychological rants again (not that that was an entirely _bad_ thing.), she wasn't all that bad. She just liked to stick her nose where it most _really _did _not_ belong.

And his dad… that obnoxious orange jumpsuit of his was something he would miss. It always announced his arrival, even if he was miles away. Danny depended on it during some of his ghost hunts. He loved his dad dearly; the man was an oaf, but he was _his_ oaf. He always tried his hardest to protect his children- from both tangible threats and intangible. And he never did apologise for that last fight…

* * *

><p>"Danny Fenton, fourteen, caught in an explosion that destroys his house, killing his family, and he doesn't have any next of kin?" The papers ruffled as the head of the hospital took them away from his face. "Have you checked the files?"<p>

"Of course, sir, many times over," His assistant stared him down, not flinching from his gray gaze. "He has an aunt, but no one can get in contact with her."

"Any godparents?"

"Not on file, sir."

The man behind the desk sighed. Cases like this were always hard, he hated putting children through what he now had to do to Danny, but he had no choice.

"Well, I suppose we have no choice now, then." He said, running a hand over his face dejectedly. "We're going to have to put him in foster care. He's too young to be on his own."

His assistant nodded, "I'll alert the staff and get the paperwork set up."

* * *

><p>He didn't know why he did it, but several years ago he had put his name in the pool, and had been approved by the state to be a foster father. Maybe it was his want to have a child that drove him to do it. He'd never really know.<p>

He denied them always, claiming he was too busy at that moment to look after a troubled teen. The phone calls started to slow down, and eventually they became almost non-existent.

But for some reason, that stormy, blustery night, he was restless. He had dragged his phone over to his arm chair and watched the fire he had set up in his fireplace. The flames danced and he suddenly felt something other than the normal comfort he got from fires.

Somehow, the fire felt wrong.

Dangerous.

He was contemplating this when his phone rang. It's normally familiar ring causing him to start and his heart to race. Why did it feel like answering that was going to be the end of whatever normalcy he had left?

He answered anyway, almost as if compelled by an outside force. "Hello?"

"Mr. Masters?" The voice on the other end sounded young.

New.

"That's me," The man replied, watching the flames.

"We have a new child up for foster," she began and Vlad opened his mouth to deny it, but decided to let her continue. "He's fourteen years old, and his family died in a fire last night." A pause, "He has no next of kin. His name is Daniel James Fenton."

Vlad's heart stopped when he heard the name. This was his chance; his chance to get Danny as a son, his chance to prove to the boy that he was _not_ what he seemed to be.

But that meant that Maddie was dead.

But this was his chance…

"Mr. Masters?"

Suddenly, something came over Vlad's heart, something he had not felt since Jack stole Maddie away from him, destroying his pleasant emotions.

His heart was overcome with joy at this divine opportunity.

"I'll take care of him."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I will admit, I did NOT think you guys would like this. Well, here you go an update!

I thought of an AMAZING idea while I was writing this. ... Then I forgot. ;n;

I'm sorry, but I _really_ like traumatized Danny, so expect him to be around a bit longer, including some random relapses when he's finally starting to over come it. What can I say? I'm driven by ANGST!

TO THE STORY!

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><p>There was nothing that could break into the stupor Danny had locked himself in. The car held nothing but himself and the driver- none of his belongings survived the explosion at his home.<p>

Danny at this point didn't care what happened to him. Things didn't make sense, and that was all that mattered. He was going to some stupid family where he was going to be cooed over and pampered, his new family oblivious to how many battles he'd won for _them_ so _they_ could live peacefully.

This car ride was long. Danny glared out the window of the car and bit his lower lip subconsciously. Something nagged at him in the back of his mind, but it was lost behind the intense feelings of guilt and loss.

Danger.

Something wasn't right.

The car pulled to a stop and the driver turned to look at Danny. A kind smile played on his chauffer's face as the man said, "Yer here, son. Welcome to your new home."

Danny could have sworn his caregivers had given him the name and information of the one who had agreed to foster him, but it had been drowned out in the despair of losing his family.

The driver got out of the car and came around to Danny's side, opening the door and helping the kid out. Danny tried to smile his thanks, but it came out as a lopsided mess. The driver seemed to understand and tried to smile back before walking Danny up to the _huge_ front doors of the place he was to stay at.

Why was it so familiar?

Danny had a large nagging sensation that he had been here before; _several_ times, in fact, but he could not place it for the life of him, his mind twisted in its dense fog.

The driver rang the doorbell and a woman answered. Her curly blonde hair ended just below her ears, and her clear green gaze took in both the visitors, resting the longest on Danny. "Welcome." She bowed to them in greeting

She and the driver exchanged a few words and the man clasped Danny on his shoulder before leaving. The woman quietly closed the door behind him as he left. Danny was staring around the large green and gold entrance way and thinking how horrible the décor was, when the woman came over to him and asked him to follow her.

The two made their way into what Danny assumed was a sitting room. A large fireplace (thankfully cold,) adorned most of one wall, the mantel filled with photos and memorabilia of the football team the Packers. There were two golden football ornaments on either edge of the mantel. Danny glanced at them distastefully. He didn't care for football.

There was a small sofa and two arm chairs facing the fireplace. The woman bowed to Danny, holding her arms out to gesture to the small sitting space. Danny turned to it, his mind blaring warnings at him.

He was not supposed to be here.

Where was here?

Danger.

Danny walked around one of the chairs and his heart nearly stopped.

Sitting there, swishing around a glass of wine was his arch-nemesis Vlad. Vlad was watching him, a sad look on his face. Danny swallowed nervously. He suddenly realised why all those bells went off in his head.

Danny was in his ghost form in a flash (literally) but was soon coughing violently, his lungs not yet fully recovered from inhaling smoke. His ghost form vanished leaving a very human and very bleary eyed Danny standing in its place.

Vlad was behind him, slowly rubbing his back, as Danny doubled over, clutching at his chest as the heaves ripped at him. As much as Danny hated to admit it, Vlad's motions were comforting.

"Wh-what's your-" a cough, "-plan, Plasmius?" Danny mustered the bravest glare he could and Vlad looked genuinely hurt.

"Plan?" he echoed, pulling away from Danny and picking up his glass of wine again. "I have no plan, Daniel. I received a telephone call regarding your predicament and was offered the chance to foster you- and I took it."

Oh no.

No.

No.

NO!

Danny went back to his ghost mode, going intangible as he shot up, phasing through the ceiling and out of the castle. Danny didn't know how high he was going until the air got thin and icicles started to form on his nose and appendages.

Figuring he was high enough, Danny flipped onto his back, staring up at the stars he could now see. He floated like that for a while, disregarding the ice that was forming on him. When he got slightly tired of looking at the stars (he could _never_ be tired of looking at stars,) he looked down, expecting to see thick clouds blocking his view of anything below him.

Instead, what he saw took his breath away. He had floated out over Amity Park. He had never been this high up before and he marvelled at the landscape, seeing the way everything knitted together so closely. He had always thought of it as being a mini maze (one he was able to navigate with ease, but a maze nonetheless), but from up here it made sense.

"Marvellous, isn't it?"

Danny nearly jumped three feet out of his skin when the voice spoke up behind him. Whipping around he narrowed his eyes at Vlad, who had flown up to join him.

The older halfa sighed, his black hair held down slightly by ice particles. "Daniel you can't go running off like that."

"And why not? You're not my father!"

"I am now."

Realization crashed into Danny for the third time that day. His parents were gone and never coming back. Danny stared at him, sagging slightly as he remembered the fire.

* * *

><p>Three minutes later found Danny sitting in a chair by the (still cold) fireplace, a blanket around his shoulders, and a mug full of hot chocolate in between his hands. Vlad was sitting back in the chair Danny had first discovered him in, swishing a new glass of wine as he watched Danny recover from the cold temperatures.<p>

Vlad was talking, Danny could tell, but the teenager blocked out the noise and concentrated on the brown liquid between his hands, watching the steam dancing off of it.

"SKULKER!"

Danny flinched, looking around for the ghost in question before hearing the laughter coming from the older man in the room. "I thought that would catch your attention."

Danny glared at Vlad, settling back into the cushy arm chair. "Not funny, Vlad." Danny muttered, curling his legs up onto the chair and resting the steaming cup on his knees.

"No, but it got your attention, which is all I wanted." Vlad smirked, taking a sip of wine. "I was saying I'm sorry for the unfortunate event that placed you in this situation, Daniel."

"Danny." He knew it was useless.

"I'm even more sorry for the loss of your family-" don't say it you freak, please don't say it. "-especially the loss of your mother." You just had to go there, eh?

Danny gave Vlad a disgusted look before sipping his hot chocolate. "Leave mom out of this." A sob tried to escape his throat at the mention of his mother, but Danny chocked it back. "She would never have gone for you, you know." Danny's words could barely be considered a whisper. "She was always going to end up with dad."

"How naïve you are, Daniel." Danny didn't look up at the billionaire as the man walked over to the fireplace, taking down the picture frame he had there, that contained a picture of him, Maddie and Jack from their college days. "She would have, if she had been given the chance."

Danny could almost feel the anger and regret radiating off of his nemesis as the man replaced the picture. Vlad was quiet for a moment as he stared into something Danny couldn't see. "But she was stolen from me by that idiotic buffoon you called a father." Something heavy hit Vlad's head, shattering on impact and seconds later scalding water fell over him making him cry out in pain.

Danny watched with glowing green eyes as Vlad danced around, trying to get the burning hot chocolate off of his skin. The billionaire turned to Danny, eyes flashing red before realizing who he was looking at. The older ghost took a deep, calming breath, running his hand through his hair as he watched the young teenager curled up on one of the arm chairs.

"Don't you _ever_ speak like that about my father again." Danny's voice was a growl, his glowing eyes never leaving Vlad's face. "If I _ever_ hear you insult him, or anyone else I've lost again, you'll wish it was you in that fire instead of them." The older man did not doubt Danny's words as the boy got to his feet, his fists clenched. The blanket fell from Danny's shoulders and Vlad gently placed his wine glass down.

"Daniel, calm down. I'm sorry. It was insensitive of me to say such things given the current situation."

Danny took a deep breath. Getting mad at Vlad wasn't going to bring him out of this situation.

It wasn't going to bring his family back.

Danny was able to push back the rage that had rooted in him, but he was unable to uproot it completely, as just seeing the man's face brought back all his previous emotions towards him. The way the older ghost acted, it was like he was _asking_ for Danny to attack him. Danny turned away from his nemesis and avoided his gaze.

The older man sighed and clapped once. A butler appeared almost instantly in the door way and bowed deeply to Vlad. "Take Daniel to his room for the night." He did a good job of hiding it, but Danny could still detect the rage seething under the surface. "Make sure he rests."

Vlad turned a knowing eye on Danny and the boy returned it with a deathly glare. "I've gathered reports saying you haven't been sleeping as of late."

Who could when every time you close your eyes you see the faces of your family screaming for help as their skin melted?

The butler appeared at Danny's side and the boy finally tore his gaze away from the richly clad man and allowed his servant to guide him to his room.

"Here you are, young master." The butler opened the door and motioned with his spare hand for Danny to enter. Danny tried his hardest not to glare at the man; it wasn't his fault he was in this position. Danny carefully entered the room, surveying it and taking it all in as he looked around carefully. The room was spacious, but it was obvious it was a spare room. There was an attached bathroom which Danny just looked at before returning his gaze to the boring room. "Lord Masters has declared that this is your room, Master Daniel. You may do what you like with it, without any consequences."

Danny's eyes flashed green for a second before he turned back to the butler. "Thank you, you can go now."

"I may not, sir." The butler stayed immobile, his arms clamped behind his back. "I was instructed to wait until you fell asleep."

Danny sighed. "I can't sleep with someone watching me."

The butler didn't move on his position, knowing he could not disobey Vlad's orders. Danny ran a hand over his face in exasperation, how could he get rid of this guy?

"Fine," Danny said, resigned, "I'll try to sleep then, if it means so much to you."

Danny lay down on the bed and closed his eyes, sighing when the pictures of his family didn't immediately spring to mind. He pulled the blankets up around him and rolled to his side, his back facing the butler. He controlled his breathing, slowing it down to make it sound like he was sleeping.

The man didn't leave, obviously being forewarned to any trick on Danny's part. Danny sighed deeply, burrowing deeper into the bed (It _was_ comfortable), relaxing his muscles as he tried to sleep.

* * *

><p><em>A hand grabbing his arm caused Danny to stop in his tracks. Flinching, he turned around to look at the man holding him. "Wh..what is it, Dad?" Jack's face was serious, his eyes burrowing into Danny's.<em>

"_You need to see this!" Suddenly the serious look dropped off of his father's face, and he looked more like Jack. "I've made the coolest invention!" Danny desperately tried to think of an excuse, but it was after school and Sam and Tucker were both busy. Why didn't Lancer give him homework tonight?_

"_Uh, Dad, I don't know if that's a good idea…"_

_Something passed over his dad's face for a second, but it was gone so fast Danny couldn't catch it. "Of course it is, Danny! It's harmless this time, I promise." The man dragged his son by the arm down to the lab. Danny caught a quick glance of something covered by a black sheet, but his mother quickly blocked his view of it._

"_Hi, sweetie!" her singsong voice greeted him and Danny waved back. _

_His father finally dropped the iron grip on his arm and went over to a metal table, picking up something Danny didn't recognize. Holding it up, Danny noticed it looked like one of those circular pool toys. The ones that would sink to the bottom, and kids would dive down to get them. His father ran his finger along the inner edge of it. "This, Danny, is a portable ghost portal."_

_Danny pointed at the large Fenton Bazooka, dust covered it as it sat unused. "That was a portable ghost portal too, Dad."_

"_Yeah, well… this one works both ways!" Jack looked distastefully at the forgotten weapon lying on the table. "This one lets us go in if we want to!"_

"_Not that anyone would ever be crazy enough to," Maddie added, standing next to Danny. "But we thought it'd be neat for the wall portal to be duplicated into something small and portable."_

_Danny had to admit, it __**was**__ really cool. His dad handed it to him. "It doesn't work yet. Your mom and I still need to figure out how to charge it with ecto energy."_

_Danny knew how he could get it to work, but didn't want to do it in front of his parents. He pushed a red button on the side of the device, it whirred a bit before a couple of sparks flew, and then fell silent and dormant again. "Y'see?" Jack asked, gently taking the device back. "Just like the larger model before it mysteriously started working." _

_Jack frowned in confusion, "Well, whatever. We'll get it working, and when we do, we can send the ghost scum back to where it belongs the __**second**__ we see them! It's perfect!"_

_Danny smiled politely at his parents, secretly rejoicing in them finally making another weapon that could aide him instead of hurt him. When he had the chance to fix the miniature portal, ghost hunting would be __**so**__ much easier. Maybe he'd even have to retire the thermos. _

_No, he'd never retire the thermos._

* * *

><p>Danny sat in the corner of his bed, pressed up against the wall; his chin resting on his knees as he stared at the far wall. He hardly noticed as the door opened and a servant came in to check on him for the hundredth time.<p>

When the servant finally left, Danny still hadn't moved. His limps were aching in protest over being locked like that for over half the night, but he didn't care, enjoying the break from the grief the pain gave him.

When the door opened again, Danny closed his eyes. He didn't want to deal with yet _another_ servant. He was close to firing an ecto ray at them just to get them to _shut up_. When the person stood beside him and said nothing, Danny assumed it was the butler this time. He had come in earlier and had simply asked him if he was hungry, standing there for a while, not saying anything while Danny ignored him.

He had eventually just left.

Danny could feel his eyes glowing green under his eye lids, but he refused to open them, hoping that the butler would just simply leave after getting no response from him.

What happened next shocked Danny.

He was roughly grasped by the back of the shirt and thrown to the floor. Danny turned around, his eyes glowing green as he stared up at the culprit. Vlad was standing there, his face a mixture of rage and sadness. "Daniel!" The hybrid's eyes flashed red for a second before he tried to calm himself. "Daniel, you've been ignoring my servants all morning, and I've been getting reports you did _not_ sleep last night."

Shut up.

"Why would you do that, Daniel? They're simply there to help you- they only want to make sure you eat and sleep."

Shut up.

"Daniel are you listening to me?"

Danny snapped. He lunged at Vlad, phasing them both out of the bedroom and falling three stories in to the topiary garden below. Danny wrestled the older man as Vlad landed on his back, cushioning the younger hybrid's fall.

The older man gasped as the breath was knocked out of him and Danny quickly sprung back, picking up Vlad in the process and tossing him against a nearby bush shaped like a badger. As the man regained himself, Danny stood, panting in rage, his ghost form upping his emotional state.

Vlad stood, watching Danny as he let his black rings of light transform him into his ghost alter ego, Plasmius. "Why did you do that, Daniel?" the man's anger finally wiggled out of his grasp and he shot towards Danny, grabbing him around the waist and flying a few dozen feet into the sky.

Danny snarled, trying to push his way out of Vlad's arms, but the man had a strong hold on him. When Plasmius had judged he was high enough, he again grabbed Danny by the shirt, this time from the front so he could press his nose into the boy's. "Don't _ever_ attack me like that again, _little badger_, or you will feel more than what I am about to do to you."

The man flung Danny to the ground, shooting a power blocking electrical attack down after him. Danny was able to slow his fall just before the electricity hit him, causing him to scream and turn back into Fenton. He hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Plasmius landed gracefully next to him and crossed his arms as he turned back into Vlad. Danny squinted at him as his vision blurred. "Nice try, little badger. Next time, try to fight when you actually have the energy to."

Danny blacked out.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **There was no update for _Ice and Lightning_ on Monday because it was Thanksgiving, and I couldn't be bothered. :'D So you get this today instead.

* * *

><p>"Eat."<p>

No.

"Daniel, _eat_."

Danny stared down at the plate of food in front of him. His body was rigid as he gripped the sides of the seat of the chair so hard his knuckles turned white. He knew he was hungry; the gaping hole he felt inside of him proved that, but he _could not_ trust _food_ prepared by _him_.

Seeming to read his mind, the white haired man across from him sighed, "Daniel, I didn't prepare the food, my servants did. Even if I _did_ I wouldn't poison it. If I wanted you dead, you would have been dead a long time ago."

Danny turned his glare from his food up to Vlad, he hadn't spoken to Vlad since their fight three days ago, and Danny had eaten only what the butler had begged him to. Danny was beginning to like the butler; his kind attitude helped him feel comfortable in his room. Now, faced with an actual _meal_ Danny felt like he was going to hurl.

Vlad stood up and paced, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to keep calm. He could understand Danny's reluctance to eat to an _extent_, but this was getting ridiculous. The boy's face was starting to sink, his skin taking on an even paler hue than when he was a _ghost_.

"Daniel, I won't ask you again. _Eat._"

A breakthrough happened as Danny picked up his fork. Vlad held his breath. Danny carefully scooped some mashed potatoes onto his fork. Vlad watched his every move.

_Splat_.

Vlad slowly opened his eyes, bringing his hand up to wipe the potato off his face. His anger was bubbling up again, and he was about to fire an ecto laser at the insolent boy. How _dare_ he have the _audacity_ to throw mashed potatoes at his benefactor.

Vlad took a series of calming breaths, opening eyes to see a smirking teenager. _At least it's a change from his sombre demeanour…_

"Daniel…" Vlad felt like he was talking to a four year old, not a four_teen_ year old. "…Really, food is for eating, not throwing. Would you _please_ take _one_ bite?"

Danny's face went from rebellion to steely determination. Danny glared at Vlad as he put the fork back in the food, this time picking up a piece of the cubed chicken on his plate. Vlad prepared himself to send up a shield if Danny should try anything, but the boy simple looked at the chicken and put it back on his plate. "I'm not hungry."

It was the first thing he had said to Vlad in three days, and it left a sour taste in the teen's mouth. The words were a lie, and he knew Vlad could see right through them. "Don't make me force feed you, Daniel."

Danny moved his hands back to the seat of his chair as if the piece of furniture was about to start bucking and throw him off. For all Danny knew, it could do just that. He was, after all, in Vlad's house.

The freak.

His ruse was broken when a loud growl broke the silence between the two of them. Vlad instantly had a triumphant grin on his face, and Danny's went beet red. "Not hungry, hmm?"

A glare.

"Edward," Vlad called out and Danny turned his glare from the billionaire to the plate of food in front of him. The butler took a few steps forward from the wall. Danny didn't even know he'd been in the room. Vlad turned to him and gestured to Danny. "Edward, _please_ make sure he eats _something_." Once the butler nodded, Vlad turned to leave.

"Where are you going, Fruitloop?"

Vlad paused and turned to Danny, narrowing his eyes slightly. "If you _must_ know, Daniel, I'm going to go clean up." He crossed his arms as he stared down the Fenton kid. The older man sighed, "Is that _quite_ alright, Daniel? Or would you rather I say here and watch you eat?"

Danny looked down at his food and Vlad said something along the lines of "I thought so," before his footfalls announced his exiting.

Edward the butler stood silently for a moment before leaning down towards Danny. "Master Daniel," Danny had tried to get him to just call him _Danny_ but the butler wouldn't listen. "Please eat something."

No.

"I'm not hungry."

"Master Daniel," _Danny_ "you need to eat. What would your sister think if she could see you now?"

Danny froze and stared holes into his plate. The butler had a tendency to pick at him by using guilt and his family members, Danny knew it was Vlad's influence. Danny felt like he had just been punched in the gut and he picked up the chicken again.

"I hate you, Edward."

"I know, sir."

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh would you <em>_**shut up**__!" Danny shot a large collection of ectoplasmic power at the man floating a few feet beneath him. The man simply exploded into a bundle of smoke, and Danny growled in anger: a duplicate._

"_Is that all you've got, little badger?"_

_Danny spun around sending out a wave of ice to mimic his motion and Vlad raised a shield, prepared for this attack as he always was. "What do you want, Fruitloop?" _

_It was four in the morning, and Danny was tired. He'd had a long day at school, and had spent all afternoon and evening fighting ghosts. All he wanted was to curl up in bed and forget about everything until it repeated tomorrow._

_But Danny knew there were just some things that were just fantasy. And sleep, for him at least, was just that; nothing but a deliciously close, but untouchable fantasy._

_Vlad teleported close to Danny, so close their noses were almost touching. The red eyes of his Plasmius form bore into Danny's green ones. "I'm going to offer this to you one more time, Daniel." His voice was a hiss, no more than a breath of air, "Join me. I could teach you so much more than that idiot father of yours. Think about all the powers you could learn to control." Vlad allowed himself to float back, eyes narrowing as Danny opened his mouth to protest._

_The billionaire cut him off before he could, holding out his hand and letting a flame dance there. Danny's green eyes flicked from it, to Vlad's face as the older man smirked at him. "You and I could rule the world. Think about the things we could accomplish!"_

_There was nothing Danny hated more than this rant. His green eyes narrowed angrily as he aimed a punch at the hybrid's face, actually managing to make contact and send him reeling back a couple of feet. Danny was shocked to see blood on Vlad's chin when the man turned back to him._

"_I will __**never**__ join you," Danny hissed, clenching his fists as they began to glow an eerie green. "Nothing that you, or anyone else, do will ever make me join you." The angry halfa shot a blast at Vlad Plasmius then, the ectoplasm so charged that it began to eat away at Vlad's suit, his skin underneath bubbling and cracking, bleeding and staining the white fabric._

_The anger in Vlad's eyes was unmistakable, his fangs hooked over his lower lip as he hissed, "Mark my words, __**child**__, I will be __**back**__ for you, and you will __**pay.**__"_

_The older hybrid vanished then, in a plume of violet smoke and Danny sighed in relief, holding a hand to his forehead to try to ease the aching headache he had acquired during the fight, mostly because of his lack of sleep._

_Phasing into his room, Danny shook his head, trying to dispel the heavy weight in his head._

"_Freeze, ectoplasmic scum!"_

_And Danny did just that. He had been hoping his parent's __**hadn't**__ woken up. But as ghost crazy as they were, he supposed he was hoping for something that would never happen._

_He turned around to see his father pointing a deadly looking gun that Danny hadn't seen before. His eyes widened in horror as he realised he didn't know what that thing did, or how to dodge it._

_Nothing had ever terrified Danny more than that moment._

"_What did you do to my son!" Jack took a threatening step forward, but Danny was rooted to the spot, staring down the barrel of the gun. "Where is my son!"_

_It was then that Danny saw the emotions in Jack's eyes. His father's eyes held a mixture of anger, fear and regret. Danny swallowed as he realized his father was blaming himself for Danny's supposed disappearance at the hands of Phantom._

"_F-fear not, citizen," Danny tried his best to put on his super hero voice, desperately trying to remember how Super Danny pulled it off. "He is safe! There was trouble and I flew in to warn him to evacuate.. but he had already run out to get some weapons!"_

_Jack frowned, buying it, and for a second, Danny thought that he might be safe. Jack lowered the gun a few inches, confusion playing on his face as his eyes flicked to Danny's door. Sure, it had been open when he'd first come to check on his son, but…_

"_How do you know that?" True, the mere fact that Jack was holding a gun could have tipped Phantom off to their well of anti-ghost weapons__. But it never hurt to ask. The gun was once again level with Danny's forehead._

"_I-I uh," Danny struggled to come up with something; he never thought his dad would ask that. How was he going to get out of this?_

_The gun began to make a whirring noise, and if it was possible in his ghost from, Danny's face paled. A bright white light started at the very end of the barrel, gaining in speed in direct relation to the intensity of the noise the gun was making._

_A loud bang resonated around the room, and in comparison a very faint "__**Dad, NO!"**_

* * *

><p>The water hit him like a torrential downpour. His red eyes stared at the almost reflective tiles across from him, his nose buried in his knees and his bangs plastered to his face so he almost couldn't see. He had been sitting that way for almost twenty minutes, slowing rocking back and forth as the water spraying on him reminding him of the spray of the fire fighter's hoses.<p>

Salt water mixed with fresh water as tears streamed out of Danny's eyes. It was the first time he had broken down since arriving here almost a week ago. Images flashed before his eyes as he cradled his legs against his bare body, a muffled groan of agony popping out of his lips. Danny clamped down on his wrist with his teeth, trying to keep from screaming as his ears imagined the screams his family made as they were dying. He hadn't actually heard it (_thank god,_) but it was easy enough to imagine.

Danny bit down on his wrist as more memories swamped over him, his teeth tearing into his flesh, causing blood to seep out and mingle with the shower water. Danny didn't notice the pain in his wrist as his eyes got wider, panic starting to seep into him.

Alone.

He was alone.

So very, very alone.

The water was slowly going from hot to cold, and Danny finally unfolded himself, reaching over and turning the taps off. He folded back in on himself in the tub, not wanting to get out yet. The water ran down the walls, and he envied it's carefree life.

He tasted blood in his mouth and he didn't know why.

Did they taste blood before they'd died?

No.

Don't think about that, Danny. Be strong.

Danny looked down at his wrist and gaged as he noticed the amount of blood pooling on it. Crawling out of the bathtub, Danny noticed that he had pruned up considerably. He sat in front of his sink, pulling open the cabinet to peer inside. He saw what he was after and pulled it out.

Opening the medical kit, Danny took out a wad of bandaging, wrapping it tightly around his wrist. He could feel his pulse in his fingers, but he ignored it as he roughly shoved the kit back under the sink. Standing up, Danny absentmindedly pulled on his clothes, wandering out into his bedroom to see Vlad standing there.

Oh no. He was _not_ in the mood.

Subconsciously, Danny moved his bitten wrist behind his back as Vlad stared him down. The man had his hands behind his back and his chin slightly raised giving him an air of dignity.

Danny wanted to rip his throat out.

"Daniel, you were in the shower for over an hour."

Creeper.

The man noticed how red Danny's eyes were and a frown adorned his face. "What's wrong, little badger?"

_Little Badger._

Danny glared at his care giver, throwing back the sheets on his bed and sitting in it, looking at the far wall. That was when Vlad noticed his wrist.

And when shit hit the fan.

"Daniel what did you do!" Vlad roughly gripped his wrist, yanking his arm out so that he could carefully inspect the bandages. "Daniel! You better not have harmed yourself!"

Danny phased his arm out of Vlad's grip, glaring at the man. "And why would you care!" Rage swamped sorrow as Danny defended himself. (From what? He's just concerned.) _He's a creep. He hit on mom. _(That's in the past, genius. He's all you've got left.)

All that's left.

Danny finally looked Vlad in the face, and saw a tide of emotions overcome the man. From rage to sorrow to… hurt? Why did Vlad feel hurt?

Vlad finally glared at Danny, his hands dropping to his sides. "Little Badger, I would suggest you get out of your pity party before I make you. Your family is dead; there is nothing you can do to change that, and I only have so much patience for sorrow."

Shut up.

"So if you know what's good for you, you'll snap out of it, and open your eyes to the wonderful opportunity I've given you."

Arrogant bastard.

Vlad walked to the door before turning back to face Danny. "You'd better wake up, Danny, or you're going to wish you died with them." Vlad slammed the door to Danny's room.

The boy on the bed furiously glared at it before flopping down. Damn Vlad. Damn him to the bloody depths of Hell. Danny picked up his pillow and chucked it at the wall, blasting it with a ectobeam. The goose down and silk covering lit up in a brilliant flare of green fire.

The flames flickered out before they hit the ground, ashes scattering across the plush carpet. Danny watched them for a second, a pang of loss as he remembered that the fire at his house was etched in green.

The teen turned his back on the ashes, staring at the opposite wall. Goddamn Vlad.

_Are you mad at Vlad, or at yourself?_

The question was a whisper in the back of his mind. Something he barely registered, but it made his eyes fly open.

He was angry at Vlad, wasn't he? This was Vlad's fault.

Danny stared at where he bit his wrist and felt guilt gnaw freshly at his stomach. But it was not guilt over his family's death. It was guilt over his attitude. His family would be ashamed. His dad would want him to at least acknowledge the efforts Vlad was putting in.

Danny fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

><p>Vlad stood outside the boy's door for a few moments, listening to the angry grunt as he presumed Daniel broke something.<p>

The billionaire sighed, rubbing his face with his hands, exhausted. Exploding at Danny, Vlad knew, was not the right way to approach the situation. He hadn't _meant_ to, but seeing the hasty bandaging job on the boy's wrist had set him off.

He didn't know what he would do if Danny started to self-mutilate.

Vlad had to make it up to him. He knew that Danny wasn't going to get out of this on his own, but he also knew that what had just happened would only work to infuriate the teen more.

The hybrid sauntered to the study, trying desperately to pull his thoughts together. He grasped a picture of Maddie, Jack and himself that he kept on the mantle, his eyes closed slowly. "I'm sorry, my dear Maddie." Vlad's voice was little more than a whisper, his eyes still closed. "I'm trying, but your son is just so stubborn. I don't know what to do."

He didn't expect a reply, and none was offered. Sighing, Vlad replaced the photo on the mantel. Upset and very worried, Vlad flicked off the light to the study and went to bed.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Official A/N at the bottom of this chapter. I just wanted to say that this is **heavily** inspired by my RP with **QueenSkellington**. Pfft.

* * *

><p><em>No. That wasn't right.<em>

_Danny clenched his teeth as he pulled the bandage tighter. He hurt __**everywhere**__. The bandage was already being stained green from the leaking ectoplasm. Danny's panic began to swell. It __**wouldn't**__ stop bleeding._

_A whimper escaped his throat as he put pressure on it, his forehead throbbing. He was hidden in his closet, away from prying eyes and concerned voices._

_His hands reached out, their digits shaking as he pulled over a shirt that was now too small for him. Bringing it to his teeth, he ripped the hem, tearing the shirt apart and using it as an impromptu bandage._

_Shit that was so wrong._

_Danny couldn't stop his tears as his sore muscles protested his movements. Why did that happen? Why did his dad use his gun on him?_

_Why hadn't his intangibility worked?_

_He supposed it had, to a point. He hadn't been blown to bits by the gun, as he surely should have been at such close range. It had saved his life. Or, it had extended his suffering._

_He wasn't quite sure right now._

_Danny tore off the upper half of his jumpsuit, groaning as he noticed the dozens of puncture wounds._

_What was __**in**__ that gun?_

_This was oh so wrong. Danny pinched the skin around each wound, much like a teenager popping a pimple, and pushed out the small chunks of metal that had embedded in his skin. He was thankful that most of them were shallow enough to get out by mere pinching._

_There was one, however, that had burrowed too deeply for him to pinch out. Danny groaned, reaching blindly in the back of the closet to find the pocket knife he knew he had hidden in there. _

_There was a small shoe box hidden behind a stack of old comics. Danny hid a few rudimentary weapons in there, the largest being a butcher's knife, the smallest being a deadly butterfly knife._

_Gripping the handle of the butterfly knife, Danny brought it out, managing to light a small flame in his hand, Danny set to work digging out the metal. He stopped only to grab an algebra text book (So __**that's**__ where that went) and grip it between his teeth as the pain began to become more than he could bear._

_He didn't want to give his body __**more**__ cause for bleeding, but if he didn't get that metal out, he knew it would fester and cause him more problems later on. And it would be __**impossible**__ to explain that to his parents without telling him his secret._

_He popped out the metal bit with a sigh, taking the bitten book out of his mouth as he took some long bandages to wrap around his torso. _

_This is ridiculous._

_He supposed that along with intangibility, the only other thing that had saved him had been Jazz bursting in at the last instant. A moment before the shot had exited the gun, Jazz had screamed at her father to stop, causing Jack to lower the gun to aim more towards Danny's torso than his head._

_The blast had been a splatter blast, however, and many pieces had flown up to his head and down to his toes along with his torso._

_He was just grateful he didn't have a gaping hole in his stomach._

* * *

><p>Days passed, and Danny wandered the expansive palace-like mansion in a daze, his voice of reason always battling with his ego. Flames of anger and hatred would boil inside of Danny whenever he saw Vlad, but they soon exhausted themselves as Vlad did nothing but <em>try<em>.

Danny had finally let Vlad see what had happened to his wrist, and Vlad's compassion scared Danny. The older hybrid had _tsk'd_ and gently rewrapped his wrist, muttering something about self-control.

Now, Danny looked out over the grounds to the mansion, clothed in a loose hoodie and baggy pants, eyes shadowed as the sun set. He was finally getting past the torment of emotions that had burdened him since watching his house burn, and was left with a numb sense of-

Of what?

Danny sighed and leaned forward, loosely draping his arms on the balcony railing as he watched the sun slowly sink. He didn't even know why he was numb. He supposed he had used up all the emotions inside of him when everything shattered.

Vlad had been trying; shouldn't that cheer him up?

No.

That man was evil, through and through. Danny didn't know the reasons behind Vlad _fostering_ him, but Danny intended to find out. Vlad did nothing without personal gain.

Things just didn't seem right. It seemed it happened way too fast; too coincidental. Danny knew it wasn't Vlad's fault his family had died; he didn't blame him for that. (Though he sorely _wanted_ to.)

"Sir, Lord Masters wants to know why you have not attended supper yet. He is waiting for you."

Danny sighed at the interruption. The sun set had been really nice to watch. Turning to Edward, Danny shook his head. "I'm not hungry. But tell him thanks anyway."

"Sir, I've been instructed to not allow you to use that as an excuse. You are to come with me immediately, or Lord Masters has threatened to come up here and bring you down himself."

Danny ran a hand along the smooth metal railing before looking out once more at the almost-gone sun.

* * *

><p>"<em>Danny?"<em>

"_Mmph?"_

"_What are you doing?"_

_Danny, four years old, was quietly building something on the table in the living room, his small legs splayed out before him as he fiddled with his building blocks. Jazz, six years old, was leaning over the back of the couch watching him, wondering why he was being so quiet._

"_Buildin'." Danny's response was simple and quick; he lifted up a block and showed Jazz, "I wanna make a ship."_

"_A ship?" Jazz asked, her short orange hair framing her face as she leaned over more, her legs lifting off of the ground, supported only by the couch and her torso. "Like a pirate ship?"_

"_No!" Danny looked at her in horror; the mere idea of building a __**pirate ship**__ revolting. Who wanted to be on the __**water**__ when you could be in the __**sky**__?_

"_Well what kinda ship then?"_

"_A'stronaut ship." Danny moulded his first two words together as he went back to working the blockish structure. "So's I can go into space."_

"_You can't go into space, silly!" Jazz let her feet touch ground and walked around the couch to sit next to her brother, who looked at her as if she was a giant germ. "Space is for adults!"_

"_I'm an adult." Danny pouted, scooting away from her so their knees weren't touching. He reached for a red block which he placed precariously at the top of his square ship, which in his mind served as the flag. "I'm almost four and a half. That's old enough to be a 'stronaut."_

"_Nu-uh!" Jazz picked up some unused blocks that were on the ground. "You gots to be __**really**__ old!"_

"_How old?" Danny snatched some extra blocks and built what to him looked like wings, but to anyone else, were just blocks added in random order. _

"_Real old. Like, twenty."_

_Danny gasped, his eyes widening as he looked at her. "No!"_

"_Yeah," Jazz said, putting the blocks down, deciding they were boring. "And then you gotta go up in space and be up there through __**Christmas**__!"_

"_NO!" Danny's eyes felt like they were as wide as dinner plates, the thought of missing Christmas, even if in their house it was a disjointed, angry mess of a holiday, made the boy fearful. "Not through Christmas!"_

"_Yep!" Jazz stood up, looking down at the blocks in Danny's hands. "that's what bein' an adult is about."_

_Danny frowned, looking down at his ship. "I still wanna be a 'stronaut." He grumbled, fiddling with his ship. He stood up, lifting his ship above his head as he ran out of the living room and straight-_

_Into his father._

_Danny gasped, his ship falling apart in his hands when it made contact with his father's girth. "Danny." His father's voice was stern, but not unkind. "What are you doing?"_

"_I __**was**__ playing." Danny mumbled, bending down on his stumpy legs to pick up the blocks. "But you __**destroyed**__ my ship."_

_Jack frowned, looking down as Danny tried to grip every block in his hands at once. "I destroyed your ship?"_

"_Yeah." Danny pouted up at him, some blocks falling out of his arms as he stood up to his full height. "I made it, and then you broke it."_

"_I'm sorry," Jack said, bending down and picking up some of the small blocks for Danny. "I didn't mean to break it."_

_Danny mumbled something and walked to the living room, his father following. Danny resumed his spot and deposited his store of blocks on the table, a pout still on his face. "It took me like __**ten minutes **__to make that…" He grumbled resentfully, resuming the building process. _

"_Ten whole minutes?" Jack asked, putting the blocks down and sitting on the couch beside his son. "That's a really long time."_

"_Yeah, I know." Danny said, piling his blocks together and trying to rebuilt it._

"_So what happens if I help you, Danny, and we take __**twenty**__ minutes?"_

_Danny twisted and looked at his father, eyes wide in wonder. "__**Twenty minutes?**__" he repeated, "That's like… a whole __**day!"**_

_Jack chuckled, reaching over and starting to build what appeared to be a base to the ship. "Not quite, Danny, but maybe we can make something __**twice**__ as cool."_

_Danny and Jack worked until the sun set that night, and made the (In a four year old's mind,) coolest ship ever._

* * *

><p>Danny watched the flickering pictures with disinterest. He was slumped so far down the couch, he was hardly even on it anymore. It had been over a month and he was starting to wonder if anyone even remembered- or cared.<p>

Probably not.

The only people he had left were Edward and Vlad.

But something nagged in the back of his head that there were two people he was forgetting, two people who meant a lot to him before the accident.

He wondered what they were doing.

Danny finally turned the television off, and slid the rest of the way off the couch. Using the couch as a prop, he stood up. Dragging his feet, he made his way into the kitchen. Vlad was out for the day, off on some business meeting- or something. Danny hadn't really listened to him at breakfast; he wasn't interested in what Vlad did, so long as it was _away_ from him.

Danny pulled open the fridge. Leftovers… Great. He didn't even know why Vald _kept_ leftovers. There was no point in a _billionaire_ keeping them. Danny shrugged and pulled out a bit of leftover casserole. He supposed Vlad didn't actually know what was kept in his fridge, and the staff kept it for themselves, if they needed something quick on the job.

Danny quickly popped the casserole in the microwave, glad that his appetite had finally returned. He was getting too thin for his liking.

Too weak.

Danny took the steaming casserole to the breakfast nook and settled down, poking at it with his fork for a few moments as it cooled down. He wondered where Edward was. That butler was almost glued to Danny's side; his presence had become something Danny had become accustomed to, something that anchored Danny in the real world when he felt his mind drifting.

His lack of presence at this moment caused anxiety to well in the pit of his stomach.

Danny quickly started shovelling steaming hot pieces of casserole in his mouth, not caring that they burnt his tongue. He wanted that feeling gone, and his instinct was to fill it.

Eat. Eat until it's gone.

Fill the hole; it doesn't exist. Get rid of it.

Danny finished the food, the feeling not yet gone from the bottom of his stomach. He stood and dumped the plate and fork in the sink. Maybe some fresh air would help.

Danny wandered to the gigantic front entrance, craning his neck backwards to take in the full height of them. Why would Vlad need such tall front doors?

Oh right.

Fruitloop.

Danny tried to open one, but was repelled. Hissing in both pain and frustration, he glanced around the hinges of the door.

Of course.

Vlad put a ghost shield on the door, accessible only from the outside. And it repelled halfa's too.

Vlad didn't want him running away.

Again: Fruitloop.

That left Danny with only one other option. The boy turned and paced the hall. He knew it was in this mansion somewhere, but he had never bothered to look.

Claustrophobia suddenly began to sink into Danny. He couldn't get outside; couldn't get out of the mansion. He turned to his ghost form before he knew what he was doing and phased through the floor, phasing through level after level until he hit dirt.

When the ground closed around him, he flew back up, appearing in the last level of the mansion. Vlad's lab.

Danny smirked. This was, after all, what he had been looking for. With panic dancing at his heels as claustrophobia made itself well known to him, he quickly pressed a button to open the portal on the far wall, praying that Vlad didn't use an access code.

He was lucky.

The doors slid open, the familiar swirling green mass a welcoming escape. Danny flew in without a second thought.

* * *

><p>"<em>I don't know about this, Danny."<em>

"_Don't worry, Sam, what could possibly go wrong?" _

"_That!" _

_Danny spun around, the giant metal Speeder accelerating and zooming past him in an effort to escape the giant black dragon rearing above it. _

_Danny glared up at it, the green of the Ghost Zone giving it an eerie tint. It reared back, clenching its clawed fists and opening its gigantic maw, sucking in breath. _

_Quickly looking over his shoulder to make sure his friends were getting away, Danny threw up a shield- just before molten lava-like ectoplasm was hurled towards him._

_He could feel the strain on his shield, and on his strength as the beast continued to hurl the lava at him. He could feel areas of his shield crack, and could hear hissing as hot air streamed in through the dome like creation._

_Danny took a deep breath and quickly turned his body intangible, phasing through the shield seconds before it burst into a deadly rain of lava and shards of hardened ectoplasm._

_Danny dodged lava rocks and flows as he furiously combatted the dragon._

_At one point, a piece of his suit caught fire. He screamed, trying to bat out the flames as they ate at his skin and his suit._

_The dragon had fled suddenly then, as the Speeder came rushing back into sight, Sam at the controls and Tucker cowering meekly in the passenger seat._

"_That's right!" Sam shouted, "You better run!"_

_When they flew alongside Danny, Tucker quickly grabbed him and pulled him in. "Dude, your shoulder!"_

_Danny looked at it, the area where the fire had attached had all but destroyed his suit, and his skin was a blackened, bubbly mess._

_Danny stared at it for a few moments, and then promptly fainted._

* * *

><p>Well, at least the Ghost Zone hadn't changed. Danny floated lazily through it, watching the purple doors that floated past him.<p>

The section of the Zone that represented Wisconsin was different than the one he was used to in Amity Park.

The lay out was different, the doors were (obviously) different, and even the green backdrop the Zone was so fond of seemed different.

Danny was uncomfortable. In his own section, he knew where he was going, how to get to most realms, and what he was doing. Here, he couldn't even recognize the way to Amity Park. He rarely had to back track from Vlad's portal to his; at least not alone, and without a map.

Still.

Danny didn't want to go back to Amity. What was left for him there?

_Sam, Tucker… your friends, remember them?_

Danny shook his head to banish his thoughts. He didn't want to go back there, to face them… Not yet. He couldn't. He would just break.

He knew they were worried- he could feel it. They had no way of knowing where he had gone, if he was safe… no one would have told them anything.

He imagined Tucker's state, desperately checking Doom and every instant messenger they were on together, to see if his friend would log on. He imagined the techno geek worrying himself sick over his best friend's safety.

He imagined Sam. The Goth was always wearing black, but Danny imagined it to have new meaning now that he was missing. He could imagine her, already a night owl, staying up even later worrying about him.

He imagined both of them meeting up at school, silent, drawn, and going about the day mechanically.

He imagined these things… but that didn't make them real.

Danny came out of his thoughts to find himself in a strange part of the Zone. He didn't know where he was, and didn't recognize even the small amount of landmarks he knew from Vlad's part of the Zone.

He was lost.

Great.

Just bloody perfect.

He was lost, in the Ghost Zone… where there were no Zone doors, no ghosts floating around, just green swirls.

Danny warily started to fly back the way he believed he had come. The Zone was tricky, and it often turned you around, so Danny wasn't sure he was headed in the right direction at all.

As he looked around warily, he managed to get himself deeper into the Zone. He swallowed; stopping and looking around.

Yep. He was lost.

Great. He was _lost_ in the _Ghost Zone_ where _no one_ would be able to _find him_.

He really was an idiot.

Danny slumped, thoughts heavy. Vlad wouldn't be coming to look for him here. Hell, Vlad wouldn't care enough to go look for him anywhere. He was royally screwed.

Danny, against his better judgement, curled in on himself with a whimper. There were no ghosts around, even. This place had a dark forest green backdrop instead of its normal, familiar neon green. Not good. Where _was_ he?

Something ghosted along his leg, jolting him out of his curled position. Looking around wildly, Danny couldn't see anything. There were only dark green mists that seemed to shift as he looked around.

Freaking Ghost Zone.

Suddenly, something grabbed Danny's right leg. _Hard_. Things that felt like daggers met through his flesh, and gave a sharp tug. Danny screamed in pain and fear as he was dragged down. Looking down, he couldn't see anything on his leg, but he could _feel_ it. And he could definitely see the blood. It was a hideous sight to see.

Again; _freaking Ghost Zone._

Danny blasted at whatever it was with his ghost rays, hoping that it would _get off_. Each time his rays seemed to wash over the surface, revealing a fish-like creature. Each time they seemed to do no damage at all.

Danny gave up on his rays, and took in a deep breath. He didn't want to use this move; it left him weak and powerless, but he had no choice. Holding the breath in his lungs for a few moments, Danny let it out in an ultrasonic wail.

It seemed to work. He felt the teeth tear out of his flesh as he was suddenly dropped. Gathering the last of his power, Danny took off like a rocket towards the faint neon-green glow he could see in the distance.

As the dark green was traded for neon, Danny slowed down confident he'd outraced whatever it was that had got him. Purple doors began sliding past him again, and Danny stopped propelling himself, letting inertia take him where it would.

Finally, he found something that was remotely familiar, and from there, he was able to push himself to find Vlad's football themed portal.

As he limped into the lab, he changed back into Fenton. The pain from his leg brought him to tears, and he looked down to find his jeans coated with blood.

Vlad was going to kill him.

* * *

><p>"Check."<p>

Vlad smirked, looking down at the near-empty chess board. Danny growled in frustration, still not quite adapted to playing chess. That was Vlad's thing, not his.

Danny's hand hovered over his king, eyes darting around the board for a way to outsmart the threatening rook. Suddenly spotting his opening, Danny moved the king a couple of squares away.

And just as suddenly Vlad's bishop was on his king. "Checkmate."

Danny ran a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I can't get this game."

"It will come with time, Daniel." Vlad began setting up his side of the board again, and Danny followed suit. "It's easy when you play a few rounds."

Danny grumbled, moving his pawn up. Vlad's fingers expertly moved a pawn of his own into defensive position.

Danny sent a knight out and Vlad instantly took charge of the field, countering with his bishop.

Danny growled. Chess was _not_ his thing. After a few more (Pathetic) moves, Vlad had again dominated the field.

Checkmate was imminent and Danny forfeited. Vlad smiled kindly at him. "Good game, Daniel."

Danny crossed his arms as Vlad set up the pieces on the board again, before standing and walking over to his liquor cabinet. The chess board was a permanent fixture in Vlad's lounge, and the pieces were always set and ready for an impromptu game.

Danny stood as Vlad poured himself a glass of wine. "You just need a tad bit more practice, Danny." Vlad said, casually sipping on his wine. "You're getting there, but you're not quite at my level yet."

Danny rolled his eyes and wandered over to the small fridge Vlad kept in the room, trying not to wince at the pain in his still throbbing leg.

He had been able to get back to his room, clean up his leg, and then get back to the lab and clean up the blood before Vlad- or Edward, who had mysteriously appeared when he went back to his room the second time- had noticed.

He now concentrated on trying not to limp, and trying not to wince. He didn't want Vlad to worry over it.

It was nothing.

He pulled out a juice box. "Chess is _not_ my thing, fruitloop." The name had changed from being a derogative term to just being a simple nickname.

Danny didn't have it in him to fight Vlad anymore.

What is, is.

At least, that's what he's been trying to tell himself.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** S'UP GUYS!

Um yeah hi. So I got a few reviews last chapter that had a couple questions.

FORGIVE ME BUT I DELETED THE EMAILS, AND FORGOT YOUR NAMES. (And I'm too lazy to go hunt them :: shot:: ) So um, I'll answer them here:

**To whoever asked me if Danny is hearing voices:**

No. He's not suffering from schizophrenia. It's more like his voice of reason combating his normal thought. It's common after experiences like Danny's been through to suffer some sort of mental break down (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.).

**To whoever asked me where Sam and Tucker are:**

I hadn't included them in the story because their roles come later on. Being only close friends to Danny, the police wouldn't know to contact them, and they would have no way of finding out what happened to Danny- they only know that he is not dead. They have no idea if he is with family, or if he's been put into foster care. Don't worry, they're going to have a roll later on.

But, to appease you, I added a small section of them in here.

Anywho. Sorry this took so long to get out. I wrote a page, then got distracted by ::coughRPingcough:: and new (retarded) hours at work, and stress, and school and.. mmhmm :'D So I wrote this when I wanted to (not to mention I lost track of what I wanted to do in this chapter so it started off as being a willy-nilly jumble of shtuff.).

See you all on Friday for _Ice and Lightning_!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **Bad Inu is Bad. But the chapter is here! :D I was like... deathly ill (not. it just FELT like that.) for a little while there, and school was maaaaaajor suck. and writers block. but now it's holiday vacation, so yepyep. No promises in _A Step to the __Future's_ release date, as I'm REAAALLY stuck on that story, but this one I had a major HALLELUJAH moment when I suddenly had an epiphany over what I want to do with this story. So mmyes, enjoy!

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><p>00<p>

It wasn't until the mist curled out of his mouth that Vlad became aware of the other body in the room. Turning his chair around with a sigh, the billionaire faced the ghost that was standing angrily behind him.

"What is it _this_ time, Skulker?"

The robotic ghost glared at the old man, green eyes narrowed. "You told me not to attack the ghost-child. You told me to stay away from him. But in return, we had a _deal_, Plasmius. Why is it that I find _this-_" Skulker slapped a torn and bloody cloth onto Vlad's desk, which the billionaire looked at in distaste. "-in the mouth of my pet?"

Vlad used a pencil to pick up the cloth, looking at it closely. "Perhaps a ghost got too close to your pet and your pet became angry? Why is this my problem?"

"Because _blood_ doesn't come from a _ghost,_ Plasmius, you _know_ that. Blood comes from humans- or, in this case, _half ghost whelps._"

Vlad's anger flared, but his face remained impassive. "What are you talking about, Skulker, are you blaming me or my charge in trespass?"

"So what if I am? Just because you pay me, doesn't mean you get to come into _my_ land!"

"I assure you, I did not trespass, nor did Daniel."

"So help me, Plasmius, if I find out your whelp has been on _my_ land…" Skulker threatened, leaning maliciously close to Vlad.

The billionaire opened his mouth to retort when his doors were rudely flung open and an out of breath Edward poked his head in. "Lord Masters- I am sorry to interrupt your consultation, but you simply _must_ come with me."

Skulker glared at the butler and then at Vlad. The ghost pointedly looked at the bloodied cloth. "This isn't over, Plasmius." And then Skulker phased through the floor, leaving the room.

Vlad gave Edward an annoyed look. "What is it, Edward?" he asked with an irritated sigh.

"Lord Masters, it's Master Daniel."

That got Vlad out of his seat, and up the stairs, faster than anything.

00

_Danny put on a brave smile as Sam helped him to his feet._

"_Danny, what's wrong? You've __**never**__ let Dash do that before!" Tucker was on his other side, looping Danny's sore arm around his shoulders._

_Danny flinched as his muscles protested to being moved. "Ah... Don't worry about it guys, it's just Dash. You all know he's going to end up managing the Nasty Burger one day."_

_Tucker frowned, wondering why Danny didn't want to pummel Dash like normal. Danny simply smiled and disentangled himself from his friend's helping hands. Sam and Tucker exchanged a look that Danny didn't see as he walked out of the school._

_There was definitely something off about Danny. _

_00_

_He remembered the gentle way his hair was pushed out of his sweaty face as he curled into his blankets, the comforting murmurings as shivers wrecked his body. He remembered the solid, heavy weight of his father sitting at the edge of his bed, putting a damp cloth on his forehead as he tightened the ball he was in._

_He remembered the way his mother brought hot chicken noodle soup in to help him feel better, putting it on his nightstand with a quick kiss on the top of his head. He remembered the distant murmurings as the weight lifted off his bed, the voices growing distant as the door clicked closed._

"Hey, Danny, are you alright? It's Sam… Call me back when you can… Tucker and I are worried about you…"

_He ignored the phone as it went to voice mail, knowing Sam would be furious with him later for it._

"Dude? …Danny? You haven't been to school in three days, are you okay? Call me when you can."

_Something wasn't right. He knew that. He knew it from the way his body heaved with every breath he took, and the way he felt like he was overheating to the point where his blood was __**boiling**__._

_Thus why he had been ignoring his phone; he didn't feel __**right**__. Something was wrong._

_00_

Damn. Damn. Damn.

Edward had been in his room to wake him up this morning, and hadn't left before Danny got out of bed. Edward saw him almost scream in pain from his leg, and had insisted on looking at it. The wound had, despite Danny's efforts, begun to fester. The wound was inflicted by a ghost- in his ghost form- shouldn't it have gone away, like most of his other wounds?

Danny cautiously brushed his fingers across the inflamed, red skin on his right leg, biting his lower lip to keep from crying out. It wasn't right. This wound shouldn't have gotten this bad. Danny had been dressing and disinfecting it regularly. Though, he recalled dimly as he hurriedly dressed the bite that every time he'd put the alcohol on it, it had fizzled.

He knew Edward had gone to get Vlad. He knew Vlad was going to see this and freak out on him.

He knew that Vlad was going to be pissed that he had gone into the Ghost Zone, and had gotten lost in that strange area. Well, Vlad should have put a lock on the damn portal!

No, that's not fair.

He shouldn't blame Vlad for something he did himself.

Danny frowned as he pinched the sides of his wound, watching as white puss and sticky, neon-green ectoplasm leaked out of the wound. Why was he bleeding ectoplasm in human form?

He was dimly aware of Vlad bursting into his room, panic on his face. He could dimly hear his name being shouted; hands pushing his own away; _tsk_ing and muttered curses.

He was only dimly aware of this because he was beginning to feel like he was bubbling from the inside out.

00

_I think he's waking up…_

There was a very bright light in his eyes as he started to come to. He was aware of the slight mechanical beeping and for a moment, he believed he was back in the hospital. "Daniel?"

That soft, quiet whisper felt like it was drilling into his ears and he groaned, trying to roll over, but found that he couldn't. Everything ached. Again, an feeling that he was in the hospital again.

Smoke.

"_Mom, where are you? Dad? Jazz?"_

His eyes flew open and he tried to sit up, remembering flying through the fire to find his family. A gentle hand on his shoulder, as well as the bonds along his arms and across his midsection, kept him from getting up. He squinted against the harsh light, seeing the outline of a tall, thin man.

"…Vlad?"

"Edward, he's awake."

There was something being prodded into his side, which suddenly relieved the pounding headache he just realised he had. His eyes slowly adjusted to the harsh light, Vlad was leaning over him with a small frown, eyes concerned. "How are you feeling, Daniel?"

"I'm fine… what happened?"

Vlad's face was impassive and Danny suddenly felt like he was in a load of trouble. "Seriously, what happened?"

"What happened to your leg?" Vlad's tone carried hints of something Danny couldn't quite place. It seemed like he was angry. Definitely anger, but something else was there too, betrayal maybe. Danny frowned, suddenly wishing he had never even tried to get up when Edward was around. He felt like he was in for a world of hurt, so to speak.

"I um, I injured it." Duh, Fenton, he can see that. "I was bored… and I found your portal. I went into the Ghost Zone, I was attacked by this weird ghost I've never seen before and-I'm sorry!" Danny blurted as Vlad's face remained impassive through his story. The billionaire studied him, almost as if trying to figure him out. "I tried to heal it before you saw because I knew you'd react like this- upset, and thinking that I did it on purpose but I didn't! I'm not used to your side of the Zone and I got lost and—"

"Daniel, shush, I can't stand whining." Vlad unbound Danny from the table- why he was bound in the first place was still a mystery to the half ghost boy- "I'm upset that you went into the Ghost Zone before I said you could, you're still very emotionally unstable and you could have been hurt worse than you are, but I thank you for coming clean so easily."

Now that he was able to, Danny sat up and looked down at his leg. It was bandaged, but it didn't throb like it used to, nor did it even feel like there was anything wrong with it. He frowned, touching it softly with his fingers, unsure of why it didn't even hurt. Danny looked up at Vlad to ask him, but the billionaire had his back to him and was having a shushed conversation with Edward.

Danny shrugged and swung his legs over the side of the table, getting to his feet. As soon as his feet were flat on the ground, the world started to spin and his stomach jumped into his mouth. Must be the after effects of the fever, Danny thought as he gripped the table, one arm across his middle as he tried to swallow the bile rising in the back of his throat. He lost the battle. Bile splashed on the floor and his shoes as he doubled over, lungs burning as he coughed and spluttered.

A cool hand on his forehead and his back brought him back from the searing pain his coughing caused. "Help him to his room, Edward, the poor lad needs to rest." Vlad's voice was distant, detached. Danny suddenly felt a twinge of panic. Vlad sounded so hollow; like he had given up. As Edward led him away, Danny turned to look at Vlad. The man had his eyes tucked behind one hand, his other arm across his chest as he muttered to himself. Danny swallows nervously, ignoring the taste of bile. What had he done that made the man so upset?

Was Vlad going to get rid of him?

_00_

_School the next day was tough. Things didn't feel right ever since his fever broke. Or, at least his mother said his fever broke. He had been having weird dreams in the night, probably because of the aforementioned fever. He didn't tell anyone about them, because he didn't want to remember them. They all involved bright lights, cold instruments jabbing into him, constant beeping, and a small, contained cell. _

_He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it was something that was vital. He wouldn't just __**dream**__ something like that, would he?_

_Tucker and Sam cast him worried glances throughout the day, sending him notes that he barely glanced at. They asked why he never returned their calls, asked why he was so out of it, and he couldn't answer a single question. Everything anyone said to him just glanced against his awareness before being shucked out. _

_His friends dragged him to the Nasty Burger and he got his favorite – _what was his favorite? He couldn't even remember-_ food, munching on it distractedly as his friends chatted about whatever came to mind to try to distract him from- _what had him distracted? Another hole in his memory, another black spot in his mind- _whatever it was that was bothering him._

_He absentmindedly scratched at his chest and frowned when he felt the bandages underneath. That was right. He had been shot the other day._

_Just as soon as he felt a shiver rip through his body, and saw his breath, he heard a loud, obnoxious "BEWARE!"_

_Danny sighed; just what he needed today. Ducking quickly under the table, the commotion of flying boxes and panicked teens enough to mask the tell-tale light that marked his transformation into Danny Phantom, he changed and flew out, ready to confront the annoying, but essentially harmless Box Ghost._

"_Beware my corrugated cardboard of DOOM!" The overweight ghost menacingly shook his fingers at Danny who simply rolled his eyes._

"_Seriously, Box Ghost? Why do you even try?" The young superhero crossed his arms, floating in place as the older ghost flung boxes at him. "Come on, Boxy, get in the thermos." Danny held out the thermos, bored._

_Box Ghost frowned. "Not this time, for you see, I have __**new**__ abilities!" the blue man tossed a box at Danny, which burst into flames midair, hitting Danny square in the chest._

"_Oof," the hero gasped out breath as the box hit him, managing to swamp it with ice before it burned him. "The Box Ghost got some moves. Alright, fire for ice. Sounds like a good trade."_

_Danny blasted the Box Ghost, the weaker ghost losing the battle quickly and was sucked into the thermos with little effort._

"_Danny!" Tucker's cry wasn't his normal congratulatory outburst. It had a twinge of panic in it. Danny turned, flashing them a bright smile._

"_Hey guys, its no biggie. He learned a new move, so what?"_

_But Sam and Tucker continued to stare at him in horror. Danny finally looked down and almost fainted._

_A neon puddle of goo was slowly forming at his feet, dripping out of his clenched fists. Panic welled in Danny. He bit his lip, concentrating and pulling the goo back into himself, solidifying again._

"…_Danny, what's happening to you?"_

_00_

"Danny, please." Vlad's hand went over his face again, the man's exasperated sigh cut through Danny like a knife. He didn't understand why Vlad's moods had begun to affect him so much, but they had, and he had little time to ponder on it as Vlad continued to talk. "You have _always_ been able to do this in the past.

The past. Right. Wait- what did Vlad want him to do again? Dizziness plagued him and made it hard to recall specific things. "I-I'm sorry, what did you want me to do?"

"I want to see how your powers are coming along, Daniel, hit that target. Right in the center."

Danny frowned. The request was simple and innocent enough, but every time he tried to concentrate his powers and fire at the target, his mind swirled and his vision fogged. He voiced as much to Vlad who sighed again.

"Alright, that's enough for now…" A small frown adorned the billionaire's face as he turned away from Danny. "Get to bed, Daniel, it's obvious that fever you had before has left you weak."

Danny couldn't remember having had one, but if Vlad said he did, then he must have. "Vlad, I'm sorry…"

"Its fine, Daniel, I understand completely." The man motioned for Danny to exit the room, holding the door open for him. Danny meekly exited the room, the cooling rings of blue changing him from Phantom to Fenton as he walked quietly towards his room. "Rest, Daniel." Vlad said standing next to Danny as the boy opened the door to his room. "We can try again in the morning, if it's all the same to you. Should you need anything during the night, call for Edward. He's instructed to never be far from your side."

"Thanks, Vlad…" Danny mumbled, entering the room and closing the door behind him. He felt strangely ill, his stomach doing small flips and his head swimming. Making his way into his en-suite bathroom, he decided to splash some water on his face to relax.

Running the faucet to let the water chill slightly, he stared at himself in the mirror and suddenly gasped, taking a step back and tripping over his own feetou, falling backwards and grabbing the shower curtain as he fell, the curtain ripping out of its rings with Danny's extra weight.

A scream echoed through the mansion.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Sorry this chapter is so short, guys. Really I am. I'll try to upload these sooner, but school started yesterday and I have work stress. We'll see. I won't give up on this completely, even if it means that I don't update for a couple months. :/ I'll never fully get rid of it.

* * *

><p>Danny's heart palpitated widely as he struggled under the shower curtain; panic gripped his mind as he tore through the plastic, eventually getting too frustrated and just blasting the thing away. After all, Vlad could afford a new one. Danny lay still for a while, regaining his composure and listening to the deafening beating of his heart in his ears as he gripped the sides of the bathtub.<p>

What had he just seen?

It wasn't like him to be scared of a _ghost_ especially when that ghost was _himself_. But what he had seen hadn't simply been any ghost. The ghost in the mirror had been him- his future self. Dark Phantom… the phantom he and his friends had gotten around to calling simply "Dark," or "Dan," except, had it only been Dan Phantom, he wouldn't have freaked out as he had… Dan's face had been melting. Raising a shaky hand to his face, Danny touched where the face had been melted in the mirror.

Dan's face, reflected in the mirror had been half melted, his cheek bone prominent through a gaping hold, sharp, shark-like teeth embedded in the jaw bone blazingly obvious. His left eye socket barely containing the eye it held, the red irises burning into Danny's as his blazing white hair made everything that much more detailed; the green ectoplasm that ran from the cavern that had been his cheek gleaming in the unnatural light of the fire.

Danny felt his face, felt that he was solid, felt his normal black hair. Slowly, his heart calmed down enough that his limbs stopped shaking with each beat and he slowly got to his feet, using the wall for support. Screwing his eyes closed as he came into range of the mirror, afraid that that image would still be there, he turned the faucet off. Blindly groping along the counter, he found his way to the locked bathroom door.

His eyelids were burning with the memory of that image, his brain in a frenzy trying to place it. Where had that come from? Was it a warning? Was it something more? Danny carefully made his way out into his bedroom, opening his eyes slightly and seeing a confused Edward standing nearby.

"Master Daniel, is everything alright? You screamed rather loudly, and the bathroom door was locked…"

Danny struggled to keep his breathing even and tried to put on what he hoped was a convincing smile. "Everything was fine… I just slipped and got tangled in the shower curtain, it startled me."

Edward's impassive face burned holes into Danny as the boy made his way over to the bed, not bothering to remove his clothes as he climbed in, shivering at the images still stuck in his head and screwing his eyes closed so tightly he saw stars dance on his lids.

Well, stars were better than that murderous, melting gaze.

* * *

><p>Beep… beep… beep…<p>

_A dream; that was what this was. A simple dream._

No. A nightmare.

_Danny opened his baby blue eyes, gazing around fearfully at the objects in the room. He tried to move his head, but his movements were sluggish, as if he were under thick water. His head felt light, as if he no longer had hair on top of his head. Reaching a hand up, surprised that he could move it- though were the surprise came from, he was not sure._

_His hand was obstructed by a metal helmet. Why he was wearing a helmet, he didn't know, but he ran his hands along it curiously, feeling the lumps that he assumed made up either buttons or lights, finally feeling the wires that fed into it, and along the length of those wires as far as his arms could stretch._

_His muscles stiff, he let his hand drop when he was unable to tug the helmet off, wincing at a pain in his fingers. Pulling them in front of his face, he noticed with a sickening tug in the muscles that control his stomach, that he had no finger nails. They were pulled clean off._

_Looking down, he saw many bandages covering his torso, soaked through with blood. Well, Danny thought with a sick mental laugh, at least the bullet wounds were gone._

_He then noticed the uncomfortable feeling in his throat. Blinking, he brought his hands up and felt the tube that was fed down into his lungs, and tracked it up until it disappeared into the wall. Several blinking lights surrounded the area the tubes disappeared to, and around that were where the wires from his helmet vanished to as well._

_Danny swallowed nervously, again looking down and noticing this time that he was stark naked. His embarrassment was second only to his confusion. As he reached out, his fingers were met with an invisible barrier, which he assumed was glass. That meant he was actually inside of something, a containment unit, he thought to himself. Why he was in it, he had no idea. But he knew now, for a fact, that he was floating in some sort of liquid. _

_Outside of his prison, there was a table that was scrubbed meticulously clean, the surface almost sparkling. As he stared at it, the table was warped with an image from his mind, blood streamed down from the table, or dripped in places, red mostly, but sometimes thick, green liquid was mingled in as well. Ectoplasm, Danny realised with a sickened gulp. He was remembering being operated on. Two men stood beside the table, he remembered seeing them dimly. One was tall and slender; wearing a suit with his hair neatly tied back and glistening white._

_The other was shorter than the first, he was wearing a suit as well, but he had a bit of a thicker build than the other man. He was the one doing the work, a blue mask covered his mouth and nose, Danny dimly remembered, and his gloved hands were working on his intestines. _

_Danny had been unable to scream while he felt the strange man working inside of him, and tears were flowing freely down his cheeks as the pain ripped through him. Simply remembering it now, when it was all done and nothing hurt anymore- he presumed he was on some strong pain killers- made his torso ache and burn._

_The slender man leaned down and looked straight into his eyes. Blue eyes blinked at him, a frown adorned his face, and Danny dimly thought that that was a strange look on him, a frown. He only ever remembered him to be happy._

_He remembered sunshine and playing ball in the park._

_He remembered cosy nights by the fire._

_He remembered his birthdays, filled with presents and joy._

…_In all of those there were always smiles… never frowns._

_Why was he frowning now?_

* * *

><p>Sitting up, Danny frowned. Where had <em>that<em> memory come from? It had almost seemed as if he had fond _memories_ of Vlad, once he got past the strange operation memory. Danny was determined to find the cause for these nightmares. Getting out of bed, he pulled on a shirt and a sweater, along with a pair of sweatpants, making it look like he was going out for a jog. He knew he'd be able to slip past Edward if he made it seem innocent enough.

For some reason Danny couldn't explain, he couldn't find Edward anywhere. Lucky enough, he supposed, that he didn't need to create a lie and sneak around. Vlad was also strangely absent.

Danny made his way downstairs from his room, grabbing a piece of bread that he quickly buttered and made his way into the basement, munching on the bread as he looked around. The lab seemed normal enough, nothing in it that he could remember seeing in his dream. The instruments were pristine and none looked like it was sharp enough to slice through human flesh.

Danny frowned, munching on his bread as he looked around, touching the walls and table, the lab not quite looking like it did in that weird nightmare he had had. After touching everything he dared to touch, the halfa leaned against a wall, studying the laboratory in confusion.

Well, that didn't go so well.

Danny almost choked on his bread as the wall started to move behind him causing him to fall flat on his back with a loud moan. That was weird; a fake wall in Vlad's lab? What could Vlad possibly want with a fake wall, and what was in the room behind it?

Slowly, Danny sat up getting to his feet and putting his half-forgotten bread on a counter he passed by, his mouth hanging open as he surveyed the new room.

Oh yeah, Vlad would be furious that he'd found this place. No doubt about it.

Danny looked over every single instrument, fitting it into the dream he had just had. The secret laboratory was exactly like the one he had been able to glimpse from inside that tank in his dream.

This was not good.

There was one thing that caught his attention, that wasn't part of his dream. A small blue book rested on one of the tables and was open to a page. Cautiously, Danny approached it and looked it over. It appeared to be a journal of some sort. He decided, against his better judgement to read the entry it was open on.

_Day Eighty-five._

_It seems that Twelve has a stronger reaction towards the past and my current actions than I had originally intended. It appears he is in a state of post traumatic shock. I will have to further test my limits and see what happens._

The delicate scrawl on the page was Vlad's. There was no doubt in Danny's mind to that finality. But what was he talking about in this journal of his?

The boy carefully changed to another page, one closer to the beginning.

_Day Ten_

_I have planted everything I need to make this transition flawless. I have placed the appropriate bugs in the appropriate people's ears, and I have drawn up and created false security footage. I have hired people who I know will assist me, and I have made this absolutely perfect._

_I flew Twelve out to a deserted town today, a town where I had recreated his neighbourhood. I made sure he was securely passed out in that gel I created before I set about placing people in their appropriate places. _

_Twelve was released from his comatose-like state as I placed a used ecto-filter from my portal on the floor of the basement, using a small amount of energy to trigger an explosion and setting the building on fire. He was made to believe, before he was fully conscious, that he was coming home from patrol._

_I hid, invisible near-by as the actors I'd hired did their job. They flooded around the house, fire trucks wailing as they came in to fight…_

Danny stopped reading for a second, feeling sick. This was describing his family's accident perfectly…. Was it all a sham? And who was this _Twelve_ character Vlad kept mentioning…? What. Was. Going. _**ON?**_

With a thundering heart, Danny read on.

_...the fire, Twelve's face was heart breaking but elating at the same time. It meant that the false memories I'd planted in him of his family actually were doing their job._

_I suppose some people would call me insane for spending so much money when I could just implant the memories that this boy is my son. Well, I do it because I wanted the __**real**__ experience. If ever Daniel were to lose his parents, I needed some sort of training as to how to console an angst ridden, depressed teenager._

White rings closed around Danny's body as he shook with the information this little book provided. He shoved it into his belt, not bothering to read more as he phased through the mansion and into the sky. Wisconsin was a long way from Amity Park, but Danny pointed himself in the right direction, and took off at top speed.

He had to know.

What was happening? Was he a clone? Did that explain why he'd been melting recently? Why his memories of his family were so choppy and scattered?

Tears fell behind him leaving an almost sparkling trail as the spectre put on more speed, the air stinging his eyes fiercely as wind whipped his hair back.

If this was past month or so was a lie, he didn't know what he would do.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: ** Sorry if this shows up multiple times in your email! D: Author's note at the bottom!

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><p>"Who are you?"<p>

Danny didn't even flinch at the harsh words. He was staring at the room he was standing in, horror paralyzing his muscles.

"I said, _who are you?"_ This time Danny- Twelve? He didn't know anymore- was shaken from his awe as a large, painful blast of ectoplasm was sent into his back. He stumbled before turning around, finding furious green eyes boring into his confused blue ones.

"I—"

"Did Vlad send you?"

Vlad.

No. Vlad didn't send him, but he couldn't get his mouth to work to say it.

"You're another _clone!_ I thought he was _done_ with that! Why doesn't he just get himself a _cat?_" Another blast hit him, this time in his chest, but Danny didn't register it. He was staring at the closet, remembering when he had hidden in there to pick out the shrapnel. Ignoring the stinging in his pain and the feeling of wetness trickling down his chest, Danny made his way to the closet, throwing several pieces of clothing and comic books out of his way.

"Hey! Those are _collectors edition!"_ Danny ignored him (Himself?) as he pulled out the box, dragging out the butterfly knife he had used to extract the bullets from his father in the memory- falsehood?- that he had relived recently.

The knife was painfully clean.

Danny knew he hadn't had time to clean it before putting it away, not properly at least, add that to the fact that he was standing in his-Danny's?- room, when it was supposed to be a pile of rubble…

Danny turned to face himself, confused as he turned intangible and ignored the angry intake of breath as he phased downstairs, invisibly floating around and stopping with wide eyes as he spotted his parents sitting at the kitchen table.

"…Mom…Dad…" Tears flooded Danny's eyes as he saw his parents, alive and well sitting in their chairs. "You guys are okay…" He landed in the living room, changing to human form as he started to run towards the kitchen, feeling intense amounts of joy and relief flooding him to see his parents faces, breathing, talking, _alive…_

"Oh no you _don't!_"

Danny's happiness was short lived as he was tackled by the –clone? Original?- and phased through the floor again to land painfully on the basement floor, a well-placed punch knocking the air out of his lungs as he writhed in pain under his adversary.

"Stop—please!" the words were brought out of his lungs like a puff of air- barely audible, but there anyway.

_Twelve is the most stable. He has yet to dissolve. _

Another painful punch, this time in his jaw, her felt a tooth dislodge and felt the warm, sticky wetness of blood. "Please—I didn't know—."

Twelve looked up at Danny, the _real_ Danny, swallowing back the blood that didn't seem to want to stop filling his mouth, his eyes wide with fear and pain.

"What does Vlad _want?" _He saw beyond the anger in Danny's eyes to the pain and fear there. He knew Danny had a bad experience with clones, he knew it from the memories that were implanted in his mind. He knew that the fear Danny had was that he was going to be replaced, that he was going to see this clone melt away in front of him, just like before. That he wasn't able to save it; that he was going to be bombarded with even more guilt.

And that drove his teenage mind into rage.

Twelve turned painfully away from Danny, got to his hands and knees, crawling away. "Tell me what Vlad wants!" Twelve ignored him. He knew where he had to go.

There was only one person who would understand—and if she didn't, at the least he could see her. He went ghost, the calming rings bringing the relaxed feeling of death, his ghost powers masking the pain from his human form. He went invisible, shooting himself up through the ceiling, phasing through it and away before Danny had a chance to catch him.

Heart in his throat, Twelve floated just outside of the mansion disguised as a town house, remembering all the times he and Sam had watched movies in her basement, had planned how to fight ghosts, and his heart broke when he remembered that those memories were fake. They were implanted by Vlad in his sick quest to have Danny for a son.

"Sam…" Twelve phased into Sam's room, having spotted her lying on her bed doing her homework, his boots landing softly on her lush black carpet. "Sam…"

Sam sat up, a smile on her face. "Danny, hi." She said, her voice sounding like a sweet melody to Twelve. "You look awful." That sweet smile dropped slightly from her face, and Twelve studied her carefully. Something was wrong. He took a step back as Sam took a step forward, his eyes flickering to the still open cellphone on Sam's bed. Danny had contacted her.

"Sam, please…" He didn't want her to hate him. Not her. Never her. "Please, I'm not—I don't know what's going on—." He refused to get out of ghost form, knowing it was the only thing that could give him an advantage if he needed to get out of there fast.

Sam kept one hand behind her back, he could see the Spectre Deflector around her waist. "Please, Sam, I need help…"

"I know, Danny." She took another step forward, and Danny was against a wall. The foot between Sam and him seemed to be nothing more than a centimetre as her hands fell to her sides, one of them clenched around a ball. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

He shook his head, trying not to think of this as the end. "What are you doing, Sam..?"

Her finger twitched, pressing a button on the ball she was holding. A shrill beeping started up, and Sam lightly flicked her wrist, the ball rolling to Twelve's feet. He stared down at it, that was a new weapon he hadn't seen it before—

The ball exploded up into a net, encasing him with a ghost-proof net, the power in it zapping him, making him scream and fall to his knees, his ghost form flickering and leaving him in his injured human form. Twelve twitched on the ground, gasping for breath as Sam crouched in front of him.

"I don't like hurting others, but Vlad's gone too far." She said, leaning on one knee as she watched Twelve. "Danny's going to be here soon, and we can figure out what to do with you then."

Twelve barely listened, his heart broken and his body unstable. He didn't acknowledge Danny when he appeared. Didn't listen to Sam and him whispering about his fate, or the hate filled glances he received. The fact that Sam didn't care- wouldn't even _listen_ to him, broke him. He lay under the net, looking and feeling very much like a kicked puppy.

"We should just haul him back to Vlad." Danny said, sounding frustrated. It was the first thing that had burst through Twelve's stupor. "I don't know what Vlad was trying to do, but he's got to be missing his pet."

"I'm not his pet…" Twelve weakly whispered, curling himself into a ball under the net. Danny and Sam barely spared him a glance.

"Do you think that's safe? What if this was all a ruse to get you to go to him, Danny? He could just be setting this whole thing up."

"I don't think so." Danny shook his head, his fingers brushing Sam's hand in a gesture of affection. "This isn't his kind of game. The clone hasn't even tried to attack me."

Sam shook her head, peeling back the net slightly to look down at Twelve. "What do we call you? We can't really call you Danny…"

Danny glared at her, his arms crossed. "Don't talk to it!"

"..I..I guess you'd call me Twelve." Twelve croaked out closing his eyes.

"Danny, I really don't think he's going to be an issue. He can barely move." Twelve just wanted to block out her voice. Her traitorous, annoying voice.

"I don't want to take any—" Danny paused as both his and Twelve's ghost senses went off.

"Daniel." Twelve's heart jumped into his throat and he blinked up at the tall, impressive ghost now standing between him and Danny. His suit was pristinely white, his cape hung lazily and his collar popped to accent the horns that were made of hair. "Stand down."

Danny had changed completely, he had grabbed Sam and roughly shoved her onto the bed behind him, his stance instantly braced and his hands glowing with power. "What did you plan to do, Fruitloop? Send in that clone to get rid of me?"

"No." The calmness in Vlad's voice made Twelve shudder. He felt the net lifting off of him, heard Danny's exclamation of distress and looked up at Vlad's kind eyes, his own duplicate helping Twelve to his feet. "I'm not here for that. I wasn't going to use him for that." And suddenly Twelve could hear the defeat in Vlad's voice.

"He was made to simply be my son. He was implanted with memories of your past, extracted from some strands of hair and your DNA." Vlad Plasmius turned and looked at Twelve, still being supported by his duplicate. "I added my own flair, of course: the death of Maddie, Jack and Jazz, sending him into my arms. He was crumpled, defeated, and felt like no one was there for him, especially since Samantha and Tucker had not tried to make any form of contact."

Sam's face had slowly melted from anger to horror, staring at Twelve with compassion for the first time. He quickly looked away. He didn't need her.

"Of course I was simply going to nurture him, and make him believe that I was the only person left for him. He was honestly just like you at first. Hot headed, annoying, and completely at my mercy." Danny had relaxed slightly, watching Twelve and Vlad with a confused expression.

"But now that he's discovered the truth, I don't know what will happen. I'm sorry he caused such distress. He was built to simply keep me from seeking you out again."

Twelve gulped as he felt Vlad's duplicate's strong hands tightening around his shoulders. "We'll take our leave now."

Danny looked shell shocked. Vlad merge back with his duplicate, picking Twelve up easily and floating from the Manson mansion.

"We have some things to discuss when we get home, Twelve."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Sorry for such a long wait guys! I ...was really lazy and my key board's still messed up but I'm _ actually_ sending it out for repair on Monday! Yay! Aaand so here you go. Decided to buckle down and get this typed up.

I love whoever's still hanging on with me! I'm so so so sorry it took so long.

Hope you enjoyed it! :D


	8. Chapter 8

October 5th

_Regrettably, it appears that my hard work has come to an end. Things that shouldn't have happened did, and the reverse as well. _

_I will continue to monitor this situation and hope for the best. For the moment, Twelve is contained and stable. The binding agent is currently being dripped into his system, as his instability appeared again on the flight home. _

_He is expected to make a full recovery._

* * *

><p>Metal pipes and tubes; water; lungs filled with oxygen and a diluted beeping. There was pain. There was so much pain. He didn't know what was happening, he tried to curl his fingers, but found he couldn't, his muscle control was depleted to almost nothing. He tried to swallow but the tube in his mouth blocked his passages, making him groan slightly.<p>

"Twelve?"

The sickly sweet voice assaulted his senses and made him want to retch. That voice that once soothed him now represented such dark, horrible thoughts.

* * *

><p>October 30th<p>

_Twelve doesn't seem to be taking his medication too well. I can see his eyes constantly change between his alter-ego's green and his calm blue. Sometimes, the two mix, creating an eerie melange of swirling green and blue._

_Twelve sits in his chair, staring at me with his distrusting, dead eyes. The medication makes him violently ill, and he refuses to try any other kind. He is sick, growing thin and refuses to eat._

_Perhaps his recovery is not as set in stone as I previously had assumed._

* * *

><p>Everything hurts. The sun coming through the tiny slit of a window felt like fire on his eyelids and he moaned, trying to move his head away from the light. Even that tiny thought of an action hurt, especially with his head being tied down.<p>

"Daniel?"

He almost opened his mouth to respond, but then remembered that that is not his name. He refused to answer and as the minutes dragged by and the air became awkward, and a small sigh emanated from beside him.

"You must be mad at me, Daniel." Vlad's voice, sickly sweet like honey poured out around him and he squeezed his eyes closed tighter, trying not to respond to the way his heart leaped, begging for the comfort of his 'adoptive' father. "But you have to understand why I did what I did."

And of course he didn't understand. How could he? Vlad lied to him, manipulated him.

_Created him._

He banished the small thought in his head. No. Vlad might have created him, but that made him an abomination. He was a clone, a dirty creature that had no right to exist. He sighed, feeling a small tear leak out of his eye and run down his cheek. He just wanted to belong. He just wanted to be loved. Loved by something—_someone_ real.

Was that too much to ask?

"Are you crying?" Vlad's voice was further away now, echoing as if he came from the end of a distant tunnel. "Why are you crying, Daniel? There's no need for tears."

But there was. There was every need for tears. Twelve bit his lip as he took in a shaky breath, unable to stop the small sob from coming out. He felt something prick his arm, a burningly cool liquid rushing into his veins. He felt it course through him and take over, his body relenting to the aching liquid and going limp.

"Daniel—"

"Twelve." His tongue was heavy and thick, his mouth full of cotton.

"—_Daniel._" Vlad insisted, "please calm down. You're in no danger here."

But he was. Or at least, he felt like he was. If he wasn't sedated by whatever Vlad injected into him, he would be quivering with fear and desire to bolt. He kept his mouth firmly shut, and closed his eyes. Vlad wouldn't squeeze anything out of him.

A heavy sigh and the distant sound of a chair scraping back alerted him to Vlad standing. "Alright Daniel…" His footsteps faded, a door closing with a soft click.

Twelve finally broke down. He sobbed, feeling incredibly lonely and cold, unable to even hold himself with his limbs tied down as they were. Nothing could prepare him for the crushing feeling of utter despair and terror that washed over him like a wave. "I…I wish I'd never been created."

"Now that's not very positive thinking."

Twelve froze. He knew that voice, and he knew it well. He cracked open an eye and glanced around as much as his trapped head would allow.

"Boo." Danny grinned down at Twelve, his glowing green eyes anything but friendly.

"You know, I followed you because I wanted to see what Vlad was up to. And then I find this. You look like a prisoner of war." He crossed his arms as he sat Indian-style in the air, studying Twelve. "And this is low, even for Vlad. I mean, look at you."

Danny waved a hand, a small shield developing in front of him, its surface reflective. Twelve bit his lip so he couldn't speak as he looked at his reflection, closing his eyes. He didn't like what he saw. His hair was shaved so he was bald, his eyes sunken and bloodshot, and he generally looked sick. "I don't know why Vlad's done this to you, or why he made you in the first place, but as much as I _despise_ clones, I can't just…float here and watch this."

Danny made a face, though Twelve couldn't see it. He had chosen to keep his eyes closed, but Danny respected that. He sighed, and Twelve felt cold fingers against the bonds, and Twelve felt himself fall free, and as soon as he was, he curled in on himself, putting his arms over his head.

Danny floated above him, frowning. "Hey man, are you okay? I mean, I know you're not but ahh…" he frowned and rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly looking over at the door. "Look, man I don't know what you want but—"

"I just want a family!"

That gave Danny pause, and he floated a little closer to the quivering body on the table. "..A family? That's it?"

"What do you expect?" Twelve growled, glaring up at Danny through the crack between his arms. "In my memories, my parents—no, _your_ parents, are dead. I'm alone except for Vlad, and what kind of a father is he? He's not, and never will be, my father." It felt good to say it, to denounce Vlad like that.

"I just want a family- a real one that will love me and that thinks I'm a _good kid._ I just want to be a good kid." He felt a hand on his shoulder and he didn't have the strength to fight it away.

"Come on, man, I don't want to see you cry… Wow, this is awkward…" He heard Danny mutter, the other boy shaking Twelve's shoulder gently. "I mean, I can try to find you a family or something…"

Twelve sat up, rubbing his eyes and glaring at Danny. "I don't want your help." He looked down at his hands, noting the slight green tint to his skin. "I'll be fine." He took a deep breath, summoning energy to form rings around his waist, the effort causing him to pant after he fully changed.

Danny watched him with narrowed eyes. "Look, man, I don't know what you're thinking of doing but—"

"I know, get out of your town, blahblah your reputation." Twelve narrowed his eyes. "We basically have the same brain, nimrod."

"Hey, look, I don't know what you think you're doing but…"

"I'm leaving." Twelve shook his head, summoning power to float, meeting Danny at his eyelevel. "I'm going to go find myself."

Danny raised an eyebrow. "Find yourself?"

"Yeah." Twelve nodded. "I'm going to find myself, and become….someone."

* * *

><p>November 18th<p>

_Despite numerous attempts and thousands of dollars, my search for Twelve has come up empty. The boy is better at hiding than that child's book character, what's his name? __Waldo?_

_Not to worry, I've got the best of the best combing the country for him, and I'm sure something will pop up soon. I still wonder how Daniel got through all my alarms and shields, and untied Twelve without my knowledge. That child is crafty, I have to say._

_I do regret I was unable to give Twelve the stabilizer he needs. I wonder how it's affected him. Scientific studies in the computer lean towards slow deterioration, but I'm hopeful we'll be able to find him before it's too late._

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN:_**

Hey guys!

Sorry this is kinda late my bad haha but my computer's all nice and fixed and I have an amazing friend who gave me the code to unlock word so i didn't need to spend another like 200$ I can't afford right now.

Also, I have yet another story popping up real soon! Almost done the first chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:**

NOTE THE RATING CHANGE.

Holy shit I did not intend for this story to go this way, wow. This is rated "M" for sexual reference and drug abuse.

_I want to make something clear: _In no way what so ever do I endorse drug abuse, alcohol abuse, or any form of abuse of _anything_.

Also I'm really really sorry for those of you who love Twelve for his innocence and Danny-ness, because I really butchered him here.

I guess I'm incapable of making things easy for the characters of my stories….haha.

Tell me if you think that rating this "M" is too high. I can't go higher so …uh if it's too high I'll rewrite it? I guess haha

_Please note that Twelve is now eighteen approaching nineteen in this chapter._

* * *

><p>In a desolate area just south of the American-Canadian border was a small rundown town. It had once been a bustling metropolis, an area of growth and hope, sporting the latest trends, some larger malls, some schools. But time and neglect had turned it into a rundown, drug infested town where people convulsed and died in the streets, begged for money at every corner and sold their bodies to support their habit. There was of course the "good side" of the tracks and the "bad" though the good side wasn't as good as it could be. It had honest people who went to work and did their jobs, and honest businesses that kept their eyes averted when it came to the bad side.<p>

Inside this dusty wasteland was a rundown hotel, its beds infested with mouse and rat feces and dust, its walls stained with water and its ceiling bowed to the point of collapse. But this didn't bother the crack whores and the junkies who inhabit the rundown building. There wasn't anything wrong with a soft bed and sheets to pull over your body at night, even if the atmosphere and the constant sounds of moaning and bedsprings drifting through the walls was less than pleasant.

When he had first arrived, the regulars had eyed him suspiciously, not trusting him due to his fit, clean appearance. They always scurried away when he came within twenty feet, their darting, doped up eyes never meeting his and their conversations always cut abruptly off when he came within hearing distance.

Not that he minded, he liked his space and he silently followed the same route every day. His first stop was the small, but honorable fresh vegetable stall run by the plump and amazing Mrs. Goom. She always spoke to him as a mother would, and would give him a small wink when she slipped extra veggies into his bag before he headed back. She never pressed him for details, never tried to get him to go home, and was always concerned about his safety.

After he was done with Goom's Veggies, he wanders over to the local pharmacy. Since he really had no money, he'd taken to using his powers to fuel other's addictions. He didn't like it, but he did what he did to survive, since he really was on his own now. He would phase into the back, making sure to stay invisible as he grabs everything he can.

From there, he knew all the best spots to hit for his clients—yes, he'd started to refer to them as clients, and he'd admitted to himself he was now officially a dealer—and he collected their money with gratitude. That gave him enough to pay off Mrs. Goom for his weekly debt, and if he were lucky, he'd have enough left to buy some meat to fry up to compliment his dinner.

And so went the longest two years of his life.

Twelve groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His head was throbbing like someone took a sledgehammer and bashed his brains in. He reached over the ratty bed and grabbed the pills on that were on the table beside him, popping the lid open and downing at least three—or more, really he didn't care. His metabolism burned them off faster than a human's, and honestly he wasn't even sure if overdosing wouldn't just be _easier_ than living how he currently did.

He knew he had to get up now, and he knew that the pills would knock out the pain, if not him within the next hour, but he just couldn't bring himself to care. Swinging his legs over the bed, he grunted with displeasure at the small drops of ectoplasm that came from his feet and concentrated his energy into keeping himself solid. He'd gotten good at it, he only had to do it once or twice a day and he'd be okay. Still, he knew it was a battle was slowly losing.

Looking back at the bed he peeled a lip back in disgust at the dirty used up whore laying on the other side. Charging up a small amount of energy, he burnt her just a tiny bit to wake her up. He couldn't remember having sex with her, but he must have if she slept here. He was probably too high to remember. "Get up." He growled, still marvelling at how much of a baritone his voice had become now that he was eighteen. He supposed it was no surprise however; the father he was modelled after was a bigger man, with a deeper voice when he was serious.

The whore twitched and moaned, eventually sitting up and hunting around for her clothes. Twelve kept his eyes away from her as he stood up and got dressed. "I'm going out for my rounds. You'd better not be here when I get back." He'd found when he first got here that nothing would get done or happen if he were nice to people. So he learned to be mean, because he was respected when he was mean.

Shrugging on his coat, he started the three mile walk to Goom's Veggies. The sky was dark gray with thunder heads, the rumbling a promise of what's to come. He didn't mind so much, except it meant that he'd be unable to sell much tonight with everyone hiding from the coming rain, but he'd also rake in a fortune when the rain broke. The fierce October air bit through his jacket and made him shiver, but he just ducked his head and continued on. He hated where he'd ended up, what he'd become, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to go back to—_that_ existence. It just wasn't possible anymore.

Vlad had turned his back on him, and every attempt that stupid billionaire had made to find him, Twelve had successfully turned away. There wasn't any way he was going to let Vlad find him, not now, not ever.

Twelve had changed everything about him but his name. His head was shaved on either side, only the middle having hair which he generally styled into a Mohawk every morning, and he'd been working out and building muscles. He was confident he could take Danny or Vlad if it ever came to that, and he had a feeling it would. He had a piercing in his lower lip now, which he bit as a nervous habit, his untrusting eyes darting this way and that.

Eventually Mrs. Goom's stand came into view and Twelve slowed his pace to a casual walk as the first vegetable tables came into range. Grabbing a clear bag, he started popping some of the easy-to-eat ones in, slowly making his way up to the center stand where he could sometimes find fruit if it was a good day.

Today wasn't a good day and Mrs. Goom's stand was low on stock. Twelve flashed her a rare smile and she returned it, her plump cheeks crinkling her eyes. "Mornin' Twelve." She said, her thick country accent rolling the words. He loved her accent and everything she did. She was an angel in his bleak world. "I do hope you're doing okay today, hon?"

"I am. Thank you Mrs. Goom." Twelve fished into his pockets, pulling out the money he owed her from yesterday. "Here you go."

"Ah, you're a sweetheart thank you Twelve." Mrs. Goom smiled gratefully as she took the money. "Been a hard time lately," she said quietly, almost musing to herself. "It's a bad wind, this poor town doesn't need more misfortune."

"It gets by though," Twelve offered with a shrug, handing her the vegetables he wanted that day and let her log them in her little book. "It might be a disgusting excuse for a town with disgusting excuses for people, but it keeps roofs over our heads."

"I suppose you're right, son." Mrs. Goom frowned as she thought things through, shrugging slightly. "Well you'd best get on your way, storm's going to break soon." Mrs. Goom smiled brightly at Twelve.

Twelve returned it as best he could. "I guess you're right, I'll see you tomorrow." He gave her a little wave as he turned around, shoving his hands in his pockets allowing his bag of goodies to hand off of his wrists as he heads for the pharmacy.

The wind was picking up now and Twelve could see his breath as he walked, something not unusual for this time of year, being closer to the northern country of Canada, so he took no note of it.

"Whelp!"

Twelve turned, eyes narrowing as Skulker made an appearance for the first time in two years. "What do you want, Skulker?" He did _not_ need this. What he needed was more pills. Yes, more pills to pull him into the dark dreamless sleep state he'd become so comfortable in.

Skulker looked him over, his robotic eyes narrowed. "Your father won't be happy with you, whelp. You look horrible."

"He's not my father, Skulker." Twelve retorted, crossing his arms in defiance. "He's nothing to me."

Skulker scoffed, crossing his own arms as he looked Twelve over. "Your father is paying a lot of people a lot of money to find you, whelp, the least you could do is return to him." The metal hunter lowered himself slightly, his feet landing on the broken pavement with a small clink, and Twelve felt the first spots of rain on his nose. "So come along so I may go home and tend to my girlfriend."

"Yeah, Skulker, protip: I won't just go where you want me to, just because you demand it, or that stupid billionaire is paying you money for it. You've got to try more than that." Skulker apparently wasn't in the mood for exchanging banter because he held out an arm, a rather large and intimidating cannon appearing from his suit of armor.

"If I can't have you come back peacefully, I'll bring you back in pieces." The whine of the cannon brought artificial—or real, he honestly wasn't sure—memories to the surface and the scars on his chest began to throb. He ducked out of the way of Skulker's first blast, shrapnel and chunks of concrete flying up and pelting him. He had enough sense to put up a shield, deflecting the worst of it.

"I don't want to fight, Skulker!" Twelve changed to his ghost form, eyes narrowed with hate. "Just go away!"

Skulker shot another blast at him, his other arm coming around and shooting out a net, which Twelve was only able to dodge because his leg turned to ectoplasmic mush. "Ugh, not now, please!" His head was throbbing again, and the world was tilted at a strange angle, making his stomach churn. Skulker began to retract the net as Twelve concentrated on pulling his legs together. He needed more pills.

Blasting the spot Skulker was standing on, he leaped into the air, desperately trying to keep his form while he sped off to the pharmacy. If he could just get his pills, he'd be able to defeat Skulker, he knew it. A blast whistling past his shoulder alerted him to his pursuer, and he kicked up his speed, seeing the pharmacy coming up quickly.

He never got there.

Skulker sent out another net, sending him somersaulting into the pharmacy wall and electrocuting him so his powers were shorted. "AH! God damn it Skulker!" Twelve's world lurched and his stomach gave an ominous gurgle. He was positioned so his body was in a pretzel, unable to see Skulker, he traced the ghost's steps via the robotic noises his suit makes. He squeezed his eyes closed, imagining the cold lifeless hand reaching for him, grabbing him and throwing him back into Vlad's insane hands.

His lower lip trembled as he thought about going back there, and he cursed his childish reaction. He would not cry over something like this. He braced himself as he heard Skulker's steps stop, but his grip never came. In its place was the sizzle of heated metal as a hot beam hits it, and the screech of metal on concrete.

"Danny!" The voice was painfully familiar, female and full of independent pride. The pure lit of it filled his head with visions of violet and freedom. "He's over here, Skulker's trapped him!"

He had enough time to smile with the familiarity of it before his stomach jumped into his mouth and he was sick on himself, his migraine knocking him out moments after.

* * *

><p>Sam frowned, sitting on the side of the ratty bed and pushing back Twelve's sweaty hair, patting his forehead with a damp, cool cloth. "Danny, I really don't like this. He's been out for hours." Danny was standing by the window, looking out at whatever view the window offered. He hadn't changed much in the last two years, his ghostly green eyes turned to Sam now, coming over.<p>

"He's lost a lot of ectoplasm." Danny muttered, looking down at his clone. Two years of searching and they'd finally found him, but the anger Danny had felt at seeing him had settled into a sense of pity. It wasn't the clone's fault Vlad was twisted enough to create him. "I don't know if I'll be able to save him."

Tucker came out of the bathroom, drying his hands on a towel and frowning, "We're lucky we were even able to find him. He's done a pretty good job of hiding himself away."

Danny nodded to the thermos on the bedside table. "And as long as Skulker stays in there until Twelve can relocate, Vlad won't find him." Danny put his hands on his hips as he frowned down at Twelve, blowing some stray hair out of his face. "I can't inject him with the stabilizer until he's sober though."

They'd found Twelves pills and supply of other various prescription drugs and flushed them. They weren't sure if the stabilizer would work on someone on whatever he was on, and Danny wasn't all that sure if Twelve's body would handle the transfer of energy he needed afterward.

Sam pulled the wet cloth away, dunking it in a small bowl of water and wringing it out before continuing to cool Twelves face as the man writhed in his sleep. "I just want him to be safe." She murmured quietly, "He looks—well, he _looked_ so much like you, Danny, it was hard not sympathise."

Danny couldn't deny that Twelve had indeed been a carbon copy, aside from the deterioration. But now…the clone had gone and shaved most of his head and that lip piercing was something odd. Sam seemed to like it though. "He's so muscular now, he almost looks like he's on track to becoming _you know who._" Danny and Sam glared at Tucker who put on a sheepish smile and ducked his head. "Ah, sorry."

Danny shook his head and leaned against the windowsill, watching Twelve squirm. "I guess we just have to wait for him to wake up now…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Haha I'm sorry if that was a horrible horrible place to cut it off but it was kind of getting away from me and it's already almost double what I normally put up so uhhh yeah okay.

I'm really sorry for how this chapter turned out it kinda just wrote itself and I had no control. Ffft, so um, I hope you enjoyed anyway and if I lost readers over this I'm really really sorry. :: flails::

Also, because someone keeps asking where Sam and Tucker are, I finally added them though I really wasn't going to originally, happy now?

Hahaha okay I'm gonna go hide under a rock till the rage for this chapter's subsided.

:: pulls a protective shield over her rock::

p.s. please please please don't expect such speedy updates all the time. There are some chapters that write themselves and some that take forever to squeeze out- it changes all the time!


	10. Chapter 10

"What are you doing here?" The first words that left Twelve's lips when he regained consciousness were laced with bitter hatred and traces of pain. His world was spinning and even though the cool cloth Sam placed on his forehead helped to keep him grounded, he still wanted them to leave and let him float away.

"We're here to help you," Tucker's soft voice said as Danny and Sam exchanged glances. So far, their bespectacled friend was the only one who would speak to him. Danny seemed pissed at being here, and Sam was concerned, but trying to keep the peace between Danny and their three-person group. "You're not exactly looking like a piece of sunshine, dude."

"I don't _want_ to look like a piece of sunshine, Tucker." Twelve grumbled, forcing himself to sit up and swallowing back the subsequent bile that rushed into his mouth. "I just want to _die._"

The three other people turned to look at him, Danny's eyes narrowed while Sam and Tucker exchanged a concerned glance. "You want to…. _Die?"_ Sam asked quietly, stepping forward and reaching for the cloth on Twelve's forehead. Twelve batted her hand away with a glare, in no mood to be coddled. Sam recoiled with a slightly hurt look on her face. He felt a pang of girl, because she was, after all, just trying to help him. He quickly pushed the feeling away. He had no time for remorse.

"Yeah, I want to die," Twelve repeated himself, looking around for his bottle of pills. "So I'd greatly appreciate it if you three just went on your way. What happens to me is of no concern of yours."

"Maybe not," Danny spoke up for the first time, pushing himself off of this position on the wall and stalking over to the bed, staring his clone down with obvious anger, "but a kind lady named Mrs. Goom was nice enough to tell us your daily route, and she seemed quite concerned for you. I know you've not been here long, but she seemed quite fond of you." Sam put a hand on Danny's shoulder when his voice didn't drop its icy chill, sending him a warning glance.

"Twelve," Sam said, pushing Danny back slightly so he wouldn't do something he'd regret, "we're trying to help you." She seemed concerned for real and Twelve kept his glare on the wall, trying not to fall for her act.

"You don't want to help me. I'm a _clone_. I'm not even the real deal, _he_ is." Twelve waved his hand at Danny, "if anything, you'd want me to disappear because I'm something he _hates, s_ome abnormality that Vlad cooked up to fulfill some sort of sick desire to have you as a son."

Danny brought his hand to his face, rubbing his eyes with exasperation. "Yes," he growled, and when he opened his eyes to look at Twelve again, they were glowing their ghostly green, "I do hate clones, but that doesn't mean I want you to die or disappear or anything of the sort." He snorted, his eyes dimming back to blue. "I have a clone I tolerate, but I don't know where she is right now."

"That's something I never got," Tucker interjected, his brow furrowed in thought. "How is Dani your clone, and yet female?"

"Tucker," Sam growled a warning, shooting him a look and Twelve almost smiled at the look on the man's face.

However, it did get Danny smiling, diffusing some of the tension that had built up in the room. "Look, Twelve. I'm sorry for how I acted when you first flew into my room, but you caught me off guard." Danny grabbed a chair, spinning it around so he could sit backwards on it, crossing his arms over the backrest and leaning his chin on his arms, significantly lessening his threatening stance.

Twelve relaxed a little when Danny sat down, though he was still on high alert. "And when I'm caught off guard, I react rather….violently." Danny said almost sheepishly. "So…yeah, I'm sorry."

Twelve stared at him before shaking his head. "Whatever." He pulled the sheets off of himself, standing up, swaying a little as his head spun. "I'm still not leaving here." He didn't quite understand what the trio wanted from him. He wasn't going to be leaving his hotel room, or his new town. He liked his little routine and it kept food in his belly and a roof over his head. He studied Danny's facial changes, knowing that Danny didn't like the idea of him staying here.

"Why not?" Sam asked carefully, sitting on the bed next to Tucker. "We don't necessarily want to bring you to Vlad's, but you should be in a more secure location than this." She looked around the place, wrinkling her nose.

"It's dry, it's warm, and I have a bed. What more can I want?" Twelve asked, starting to nonchalantly open the few drawers in his room, looking for his pills.

"Well, for one, we'd get you off of your addiction." Danny said with a glare. The gaze was returned full force by Twelve, who snorted and slammed the drawer he was looking through closed. "We'd also get you into a clean town; maybe find a job for you. We could even _stabilize_ you."

At this, Twelve looked over at his ectoplasm soaked bed and felt the tingling of his powers, knowing they wouldn't be stable for long. He heaved a sigh before turning a suspicious look at Danny. "How would you stabilize me?"

Danny pulled out a needle, presenting the goopy green liquid and turning it around in his grip. "We'd do it with this. Dani and I figured out the stabilizing formula after she almost died." He looked at the needle for a moment before looking back at Twelve.

"But you really need to prove to me that you're going to change, Twelve. No more drugs and you'd better straighten up and fly straight."

Twelve snorted, shrugging on his coat. "I have rounds to make." He grumbled, glaring at the needle in Danny's hand. He didn't need it, he could figure out his stability problems on his own.

* * *

><p>Danny, Sam and Tucker watched as Twelve left the room. They didn't feel it necessary to follow him, as he wouldn't be willing to listen to anything they had to say at this point.<p>

"I don't like this," Sam voiced, biting on the inside of her cheek as she glanced worriedly at the door. "I mean, I know he's a clone and all…"

Tucker took off his glasses, cleaning the lenses with a frown on his face as he contemplated it, "Just because he's a clone doesn't mean we can just leave him for dead you know."

"I know that!" Sam snapped, giving her friend a deadly glare, "That wasn't what I was referring to, at all." She muttered, glaring out the window.

"Look, guys, we just want to get him back on his feet right? I mean, he barely even looks like me anymore anyway."

"I know, he looks kind of hot," Sam blushed, appreciating the slightly "darker" look Twelve had adopted. Danny quickly covered his hurt look and regained his composure.

"Yes, well… _hot_ or not, I just want to get his damn melting problem off my conscious." Danny muttered, putting the capped needle back in his pocket. "And then we can just forget about this stupid fiasco, and go back to normal ghost hunting. Really, do you guys know how much of a headache I'm going to have when the clone I left to hold down the fort merges with me again?"

Tucker shook his head, "We know, Danny, it's the same thing that happens each time you send one to class while you skip. You can stop complaining, we get it."

Danny pouted and Sam sighed, "This isn't getting us any closer to helping Twelve, guys."

Danny paused, thinking about this. "If he's named Twelve, are there eleven more?" He frowned, wondering.

"Probably not," Tucker mused, "Normally it takes Vlad a while to get a semi-stable clone, so the others have probably just melted away and fused into Twelve to get him to where he is."

Sam shuddered, not wanting to think about this as she kicked her feet, still sitting on the bed. "There's nothing much we can do today, guys, he's just going to avoid and ignore us if we try to get close again. I doubt he's ever going to turn himself around, he's too deeply into this rut."

"That's fine," Danny said with a grin, his eyes flashing green. "I'll be able to get close, give him the shot, and get out. He might not even notice me, if my luck's any good."

"So why didn't you just do that originally?" Tucker asked, wrinkling his nose, "And why drag us along? I'm missing the release of the new Nasty Burger for you, dude."

Danny chuckled at Tucker's priorities, leaning against the far wall with his arms crossed, a small half-smile on his face, "Well, you two were the ones who begged me to find him and help him, and you're the one that pinpointed his location somehow," Danny said looking at Tucker, "and begged me to let you tag along because you were _bored_ at home." Danny turned his eyes to Sam with a smirk, "And you," he added, "Wanted to come along because you didn't want to miss any action, and your parents were bugging you about that _awesome new rich boy_ who moved in next door."

Sam blushed and Danny laughed, he enjoyed flustering his friends, it made the days easier to get through.

"Now, let's go find somewhere to eat, and we'll get back to Twelve tomorrow morning."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

This chapter is kind of just filler as I tried to think of where I'm bringing this story...

I think I have an idea, now, of what's going to happen next and how it's going to end.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N:** Yeah, don't you hate it when you _don't write down ideas so now I have no idea where I'm going with this story or what I wanted to-_

Oh okay I just thought of something to do.

_This chapter is dedicated to my friend and loyal fan, _**Icedragon19,**_ who scored a 94 on a state (? correct me if I'm wrong) exam! You go buddy!_

* * *

><p>His feet were dragging against the ground and the souls of his feet had fallen out a few miles back. The dirt and the sun were beating down on him, but at least it wasn't raining. Twelve hadn't gone back to the motel room the night before, and he had just run. He'd gone to the pharmacy, gotten the money for Mrs. Goom, paid her, and ran. He wanted nothing more to do with Danny and Sam and Tucker.<p>

No matter how much his heart hurt to see his former friends. _No._ He thought bitterly as he continued to trek through the terrain. It hadn't changed much since he'd left the town. The highway stretched on to his left, continuing into the horizon and the sides of the highway dipped into ditches and stretched into fields and forests.

The air was getting cleaner though, he noticed with a small sniffle. He was cold and tired and hungry. He was getting sick, and he had no way to use his ghost powers without fear of melting. He didn't believe that Danny had a stabilizer, and he didn't want to hang around to find out what it was. He didn't want to die, he really, really didn't.

He was nearing the Canadian border, and he felt a small elation in his heart. If he could just cross the border, they wouldn't be able to get to him. They wouldn't be able to find him and they wouldn't be able to chase him. No one would know him in Canada and maybe he'd move to that French place. No one ever went there, so he'd be able to hide out. Maybe start a new life until he vaporized.

He sighed, closing his eyes as he walked, swaying slightly with his exhaustion. It would be good to be in Canada.

He didn't notice the van pull up behind him, or the window rolling down. He didn't notice the muzzle of the gun pointing towards him, a silencer on it so it wouldn't be heard. He didn't hear the soft _puft_ of a tranquilizer bullet. But Twelve did feel it bury deep into the muscle in his back and he arched, trying to snuff out the pain by pinching it. His throat worked as he screamed in pain, and his knees gave out as the blissful darkness of the tranquilizer sped through his body.

His eyes were locked on the distance shape on the horizon as his head slammed against the side of the road. The border guard, he knew it was the border guard. He had been so close to freedom, and suddenly all he could hear in his mind was, _"O' Canada…"_

* * *

><p>"Here's your assignment. Treat him, and guard him." A gun was shoved roughly into his hands and he gripped it tightly, looking down at it before back up at his superior with a tight nod. All the Guys in White were trained to carry weapons, but he was also a certified doctor, and this kid sure needed one.<p>

"We're lucky that station out there finally paid off," his superior mumbled as he turned back to his desk, his bald head catching the fluorescent lighting and blinding the junior agent slightly. "Mrs. Goom was an excellent look out, and I knew that town would attract a ghost sooner or later." He said with a smirk, shifting through his papers.

Junior nodded, his eyes darting to the door, knowing he needed to get going to relieve the person currently watching the ghost. His dark sunglasses covered his movements though, and his superior didn't seem to notice. "This ghost is different though," he continued, pulling out the file for the newest ghost in their collection. "He seems to have a heartbeat; therefore, he's not _quite_ dead." This caused Junior to frown. Ghosts weren't _alive_. There was no way they could be; the very _definition_ of ghost was that they were dead; a manifestation of a human's very soul.

But that didn't matter. What mattered was that he had a—_creature_ to watch over. He was excited to start his very first assignment; excited to be able to prove to the agency that he was ready for that promotion they'd been dangling over his face. If he got it, if everything went right with this assignment, he was going to buy his girlfriend the best ring around. He'd finally be able to propose to her, just like he'd wanted to for the longest time. He'd take her to France—she'd always wanted to go to France. He'd propose under the Eiffel tower, at night when it was all lit up like a Christmas tree. He smiled in spite of himself, eager to get out there and to show them that he was ready for this. "Sir," Junior began cautiously, "I need to go relieve Agent O." he said with a small concerned frown.

"Oh! Yes, alright. Go ahead. Report back every four hours."

It was a permanent assignment. Junior would have armed guards outside the door, though he would be able to leave the room whenever he wanted, though he was _strongly_ encouraged to stay with the ghost for as long as possible each day. It wasn't like he was going to be in any danger; the ghost was going to be behind a ghost-proof clear wall, so Junior could observe him and take notes. There was a way to access his enclosure in case of medical emergency, but being a ghost, he'd heal fairly quickly.

Junior stood, hooking the gun into the holster on his belt. He was led out and down the hall by two heavily muscled agents, they weren't even trying to hide their guns—both human and ectoplasmic—as they led him down a hall filled to the brim with cells of ghosts and other monsters and creatures they'd captured.

One could never be too sure when dabbling in the wold of the supernatural.

They came to a small door and Junior looked inside through the small peep hole. There wasn't anything he could see aside from a small reading table and the very edge of the ghost-proof wall. The two agents who escorted him unlocked the door and pulled it open. Agent O turned and gave him a nod in greeting before tossing a set of keys at him. "Good luck with this one," he said with a stretch. "He's a tough."

Junior nodded, a little stunned at the sudden position. Quietly, the other guards left and he was alone. Opening the heavy iron door, Junior glanced inside; what greeted him was a normal room, something that almost gave off an air of peace. If it weren't for the slightly glowing and humming shield nestled halfway through the room, it'd be a nice little apartment.

Junior cautiously stepped in, glancing around. He couldn't see any signs of the detained ghost; so he figured he must be in the attached washroom. Sitting in the uncomfortable chair provided for him, Junior waited patiently. He could faintly hear the running of a tap; so the ghost was probably showering. He should feel privileged, Junior thought to himself smugly. He's got it pretty good here.

The junior agent crossed his arms on his laps as he smiled smugly to himself, proud of his agency and their way of dealing with ghostly threats.

He was beginning to doze off when the door to the bathroom opened and the ghost—no, he didn't look like a ghost at all. He looked like an emaciated teenager. There was no ghostly glow, no glaring supernatural eyes. He looked just like a tired human would. His hair, shaved on both sides of his head to make a Mohawk was flopped to the side, dripping water down half his face, his facial piercings glistened with moisture.

The kid turned his eyes towards the agent, and Junior started in surprised at the emotions boiling in them. His eyes were such an innocent blue depths, that the anger and confusion that misted them simply didn't seem plausible.

The ghost gave Junior such a sad look before turning away, walking deeper into his little enclosure. Junior turned, eyeing the door before quickly getting up and locking it before turning and glancing back into the ghost's enclosure. "I don't understand…" he muttered to himself, walking up to the barrier separating him from the creature.

There was a small communication box installed in the barrier, and Junior found his hand coming up and pressing the small button. "Hey, kid. What's your name?" He was compelled somehow to ask these questions; compelled to make sure the kid was okay. Dang it, what kind of Guy in White was he? He couldn't even keep animosity towards a ghost!

The ghost looked at him, his face no unreadable before turning around and sitting on the thin mattress the GIW provided with the cell. His hands were working, but his fingers were simply picking at his skin, his eyes blankly staring at the wall across from him. Discouraged, Junior tried again, pressing the button and asking his question again, a bit more forcefully this time.

The ghost looked over, his brow furrowing furiously. "_Twelve,_" He snapped, balling his fists in anger. His voice was scratchy and slightly muffled from the less-than-quality microphone installed to communicate with the agents. "_They call me Twelve._" Something seemed to calm him down and he sadly looked at the floor, whispering something the microphones couldn't catch.

"Twelve?" Junior repeated, obviously confused. He knew ghosts used weird names for their offspring, but Twelve was such a… planned name. Something that made him feel like the ghost boy in front of him hadn't meant to be around.

"_What's your name?_" The voice was so unexpected it jolted Junior out of his thoughts and he blinked at the ghost, trying to collect his thoughts. "_Or…well, I guess your code name, since you guys are so obsessed with hiding your identities._" He barked a bitter laugh, and Junior's eyebrows furrowed.

"Uh, well, I'm a junior agent, so they call me Junior." He said before drawing himself up a bit, puffing out his chest. "You're my first major assignment." He added with a bit of pride. He knew he wouldn't screw this one up.

"_Feh,_" Twelve snorted before kicking his feet up and laying back on the bed. "_Congrats __**Junior**__, I'm sure you're just so proud._"

Junior swallowed nervously but decided not to respond. He moved away to sit at the small desk, a little put off by the ghostly teenager. His superior had mentioned something about this kid not being fully dead. How was that even possible? He grabbed his notebook, tapping the back of his pencil against his lower lip, his eyes scanning the boy's room.

Nothing had been touched since he'd been put there. The kid mostly just slept and showered, he hadn't personalized his space at all, and he just seemed…mopey. Ghosts didn't mope, did they? Most of them were very violent, and stopped at nothing to destroy the room and try to escape. But Twelve…

Junior sighed, rubbing his forehead in confusion over this case. The kid was just a mystery, and he knew that he'd never be able to ask him directly. The kid just wasn't a talker.

Junior had quite the hard case on his hands.

* * *

><p>How long had he been trapped in this hell hole?<p>

Really, he didn't care anymore. Twelve sat on the metal bench, his shirt off and several wires attached to his chest and to machines. He stared blankly ahead; his hair had started growing out, much to his disappointment. He rather liked his Mohawk. He didn't even care for the fact that they were probably going to dissect him. He was just waiting for it to end.

"So, what are my vitals tellin' ya, boy?" Twelve asked, swinging his feet lazily over the edge of the table. He could honestly care less about it, but the silence was starting to eat at him.

Junior—he _still_ couldn't get over the fact that they _actually_ called their agents Junior—glanced up at him from the print out he was reading. He looked comical like that, his reading glasses resting on the edge of his nose, his gaze hazed with contemplation. It reminded him of Vlad. Vlad had always worn reading glasses and he'd often made fun of him for it.

Twelve's anger sprouted and his clenched fists began to shake, yet again Vlad had crept his way into his thoughts; he couldn't let this keep happening! He had to get rid of Vlad, permanently.

A malicious grin spread on the halfa's face. He knew now that he couldn't just let Vlad walk away. He thought if he got far enough away from the man, that he'd be free.

But _no._

It wasn't like that. He had to physically _remove_ Vlad in order to be completely free.

His eyes flashed green for a moment as he glanced over at the junior agent in charge of him. He'd have to start _somewhere…_

Right?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:**

Hey! So in case you don't read Lockdown:

All my stories are currently under **PARTIAL HIATUS.**

This means that they **WILL** be updated, they will only be updated _slower _than normal.

This is because school's back in session (as of the end of August) and I'm sorry, but school will come first.

Sorry for the disappointment this may cause.


	12. Chapter 12

**Warning: This chapter is dark. **

* * *

><p>He watched with a satisfied smirk on his face as the walls drank what he gave them. The paint ran, mingling with the added colour to create a pasty like substance that filled him with a sort of thick joy. He cracked his knuckles, the recent development of the growth of something akin to claws having been a most welcome surprise. His lips parted, peeling back over teeth that had begun to change; sharpening to deadly fangs that glistened in the artificial light of the medical bay.<p>

He was powerful; he was everything he needed to be. But he was also so much more. He was so much more than a simple _test tube baby_ or whatever Vlad wanted to call it. He was so much more than that scared, pathetic boy he'd been when he first woke up and realised his 'parents' were dead. Yes, he was much, much more than that now.

He recalled what he did with a sick sense of pride. He remembered the way he had simply ripped the wires and tubing off of his body—the marks had already scabbed over and mostly healed, as his body had always healed quickly—and surprised the junior agent in charge of him by suddenly stepping off of the metal bench he'd been sitting on, reaching out and grabbing him by the shoulder.

He remembered the startled look on his face that quickly transformed into one of slight panic and hard determination. He remembered with a sick satisfaction the feeling of his claws tearing out of his hands and sliding into the human's flesh like butter.

He remembered the cry of pain and the banging on the door as other agents tried to get in, and his face twisted with a demented smirk when he recalled that the other agents had gone down without a fight, his energy blasting their skulls to bits in a matter of seconds. He laughed as the junior agent he still held onto struggled with renewed vigor, trying desperately to pry himself out of Twelve's grip.

He grinned as he remembered the feeling of his claw sinking into one side of the terrified man's neck, slowly and carefully digging deep into the flesh, penetrating veins and arteries as he pulled his finger across in one deft, final movement. The blood that sprayed from the now gaping wound had splattered across the pristine white wall, sliding down and dripping like fresh paint. He didn't even care that it splattered his white prisoner's uniform, didn't care that his eyes were glowing a fierce red.

He enjoyed every second of it.

Twelve looked up at the blood dripping from the wall, his eyes tracing its patterns with sick joy. He had done it. The junior agent was dead; he was permanently out of his way and unable to protest any longer to Twelve simply leaving. After all, Twelve had someone else he needed to get rid of. He grinned, imaging Vlad's face as the creature he once sought to call 'son' turned against him and ripped him to shreds.

Oh, this was going to be delectable, he thought, dropping the lifeless body and stepping over it, towards the door. He was going to make sure Vlad _suffered_. He wanted to make sure that bastard suffered for everything he'd done to him. He wasn't going to be forgiven. Nothing was going to stop him now that he was on a rampage for his blood. His mind was clouded by a black haze it was a bloodlust so strong, he could feel its pull as if it were a tangible hand, guiding him towards the one he really wanted to dispose of.

* * *

><p>Vlad frowned as he swirled the wine in his drinking glass, pondering the consequences of the information he'd just been given. A breach at the Guys in White facility wasn't common, and it wasn't likely that the ghosts they normally caught were strong enough to break through and cause any sort of trouble. So hearing that now some ghost had gotten out, and had <em>killed<em> people greatly troubled him.

Though he had a feeling he knew who it was.

He reached over and grabbed his small diary, flipping through the pages till he found the page containing the equations he used to create Twelve. He suspected he knew what the problem was, but he didn't want to admit it.

He wanted to have a Daniel all to himself. He didn't want Jack's putrid genes infesting his perfect creation. It had taken him a while, but he'd finally managed to expunge Jack's genes from the DNA coding, separating them from Maddie's and interlacing his own DNA into Danny's own. He should have thought that it could cause problems, but he had just been so happy that he'd been able to do it _at all_, that he hadn't thought of the possible complications that it would present.

Jack's DNA carried his buffoonish and oafish, but loving demeanor. It carried the insatiable need to help everyone, the need that _he_ was missing. Vlad didn't care about others. Vlad didn't care about walking over others to get what he wanted, so long as he came out on the top.

He should have predicted that this was going to be a problem. He sighed, throwing his calculations aside. If he knew _anything_ about both himself and Daniel, it would be that he'd be coming here next. He'd be seeking Vlad out, because Vlad made his life horrible. And the clone knew it, and so he would be searching for a way to get relief from the torture and pain that was surely tormenting his young soul. In order to escape it, the Danny part of him that was still active, would seek Vlad out and wipe the threat out permanently.

In other words, Vlad had to prepare for a battle, except he didn't quite know the extent of the young clone's anger…

* * *

><p>Danny frowned, crossing his arms and glancing out the dirty window, trying to see if he could find any sign at all of Twelve returning to the hotel room. They still hadn't given him the injection that would save his life…<p>

Sam had gone out earlier this morning and had reported signs of a scuffle, but she hadn't returned any news of Twelve, and Danny was growing worried, despite his dislike for his clone.

He didn't want him to die.

Tucker was furiously typing away on his laptop and it was grating on Danny's nerves for the first time ever. He was generally very tolerant of Tucker's constant need to be attached to his electronics. But this time, Danny failed to see how this could help them.

He looked over, studying the boy and his laptop. "_What_ are you researching exactly, Tucker?" Danny asked, unable to keep the slight snap out of his voice.

Tucker didn't seem to notice it however and he looked up and frowned at his best friend. "I'm just searching the news… you know, in case anyone's spotted anything." He said. He didn't want to admit to what he'd found, which was that there had been a major uproar at the Guys in White facility. Something about a powerful ghost escaping from their self-proclaimed ghost-proof building.

"Find anything?" Danny stepped towards the ratty bed, now curious. "Anything at all?"

Tucker bit his lip, taking his glasses off his face and cleaned them with his shirt. "Well…yes and no. No because I don't know if it's Twelve, and I'm honestly hoping it's not." He said cryptically. "Yes because there's been a breach at the Guys in White facility. I hacked into their system and apparently a newly acquired "level ten" ghost escaped." He put his glasses back on his face, adjusting them till they sat properly.

Danny watched Tucker for a while, trying to understand what that could mean. "Do you think it could be Twelve?"

"I hope not."

Danny nodded, looking out the window again as Sam came in with fresh vegetables from Mrs. Goom. "I talked to the vegetable lady," Sam said, setting the bag down on the table. "She hasn't seen Twelve today, but she didn't seem too inclined to talk about it to me." Sam wiped her hands on her skirt, frowning. "I think she knows something. She looked pretty guilty to me."

Danny came over and grabbed a stalk of celery, munching on it thoughtfully. "I think our next best bet is to go back to Amity," he decided. That was where the Guys in White base was located. "If that _was_ Twelve that got loose, he'd probably…"

"…Go to Vlad's." Sam concluded, eyes wide. Danny nodded to confirm her suspicions. That's what he was thinking as well.

Tucker was already putting away his computer. "But Danny," Sam said, turning to look at him in concern. "If they took Twelve, they must have transported him on a helicopter; how are we going to get there before he does _permanent_ damage?"

"Well, we don't know for sure he's going to do anything like that," Danny started, swallowing his mouthful of celery. "But I'll have to fly us there. Vlad can hold his own if that's actually who he's going after," he said thoughtfully, "besides, I don't know if Vlad would even _want_ my help."

But he'd go anyway, they all knew it. They all knew he'd go and help Vlad, simply because that's who he _was._ It was almost impossible for Danny to be any different.


	13. Chapter 13

Vlad's fingers were tapping rhythmically on the hard oak desk in his private study. His countless protective measures against what he knew to be coming were in place and ready to defend him. Vlad Masters didn't run, nor did he hide, but he did know when to hold back and assess a situation before jumping headlong into something that could cost him his life.

The billionaire wasn't scared, in fact if someone were to see him now, they'd say he looked more business-like and calculating than anyone who knew they were about to face the battle of their lives should look. But the half-ghost didn't bother caring about what others would or would not see; he was too busy trying to strategize his next move.

Knowing the ghost coming after him had not only Daniel's but his _own_ powers, and therefore was a much more intimidating threat than simply Daniel alone, he'd prepared as best he could. Though there wasn't much he could do aside from reviewing the precious few tapes he had of Daniel's and his own fights. The boy was simply too cunning to get trapped near one of Vlad's many hidden cameras, even back when the billionaire had exclusively lived in Amity.

Being mayor of Amity Park had its own slight advantages, namely the fact that Daniel could no longer call this _his home territory_, and therefore boast an advantage. But Twelve was a creature of mass power that simply needed to be tapped into; much like Daniel himself. However, unlike Daniel, Twelve had no way of suppressing his primeval instincts, or any sort of restraint on his powers.

Twelve was _not_, in any way shape or form, half human like the two hybrids he was built from. The clone was all ghost because Vlad hadn't had the time nor the gumption to find a female human to carry the embryo; leaving Twelve to grow and mature in a test tube, but also leaving out his crucial development. The clone had grown simply using his ghost DNA, causing whatever potential human cells inside of him to wither and die.

In short, Vlad was no longer sure if he could fight the ghost off. The clone was bound to have grown stronger than him already, and the halfa couldn't risk it. As much as he didn't want to admit it he was going to need Daniel's help.

He already had all his sensors that weren't currently generating the shield to keep Twelve out, dedicated to hunting down Daniel. The young adult had become more and more slippery in the last few years, being able to glide past Vlad's radar and slipping out from under his fingers without the billionaire noticing. He guessed it made sense, considering Daniel was no longer a teenager and he wanted to spend time with his friends, _away_ from prying eyes.

But it didn't make Vlad any more comfortable with not knowing where his enemy was. It was going to cost the billionaire very much if he couldn't get a hold of the other hybrid soon.

Just then Vlad was pulled out of his thoughts and his fingers stilled to silence as he heard the first warning siren from his outer most shield.

Twelve was here.

* * *

><p>The air around his hand distorted and turned green, sending small waves of electricity up his arm. Twelve looked up, following the miscoloured air as far as it went, before looking back at his hand.<p>

How quaint. His 'father' was trying to keep him out.

Twelves fangs hooked over his lower lip, their tips exuding a dark green liquid that steadily stained his lower lip, though he didn't notice at all, or really cared as he concentrated on the slight tingle the barrier was sending into his hand. This was going to be more annoying than anything else, the clone thought to himself as he concentrated his powers into his hand, the barrier separating like water around his hand, allowing him access to the inner area of the barrier.

Really, _ghost shields_? The boy thought to himself, shaking his head with a small chuckle, stepping in and continuing his unrelenting march towards the mayor's home. Mere ghost shields wouldn't keep him out; they were too weak to stand a chance against him. This was a pitiful attempt really, he expected more form the powerful Vlad Masters, something like an assault by the "ghost world's best and bravest". Twelve chuckled to himself. That sounded almost like a lame TV show.

Twelve continued to walk towards the mansion, each barrier causing him little to no resistance, though the discomfort they caused him increased slightly each time, his eyes—now a permanent red—stayed locked on the place he could have called home, had Vlad's desire for _more_ not tainted and corrupted whatever relationship they could have had.

Yes, the billionaire was going to pay. Power started accumulating around the angry teenager, his normal ghostly glow intensifying into a crimson colour that rolled off of him in waves, his limp Mohawk fluttering slightly in the wake of his powers.

There was no way the billionaire could miss the surge in ghostly energy.

* * *

><p>Vlad had a hand on his chest as the other gripped the back of the chair, his eyes wide and his breath coming in ragged pulls. He hadn't felt his ghost sense for <em>decades<em>, and here it was, escaping him in an almost constant rush. The burning feeling of the hot air made his head spin, it was like he was breathing out lava instead of air and the alarms blazing and squawking around him weren't doing much for his waning patience.

Twelve was angry; there was no way around it. That boy wanted his blood and would stop at nothing to obtain it. The billionaire knew he was in trouble, but there wasn't anything he could do. Vlad had fought Behemoths, he had gone above and beyond and fought the greatest foes the Ghost Zone had to offer; the only one he had to bow down to was the great Ghost King, and that was simply because he had thought that perhaps Daniel would be crushed by him; which would have been a plus in his books.

But this… this was beyond even Daniel's so called skills, which was really more like pure luck than anything else. Vlad was worried that Twelve had surpassed both their skills and then some.

Pulling himself together, the half ghost stood up, suppressing his ghost sense as he went over to his mainframe. "Run program GB-170 full power." The computer replied with a beep and the whirring of mechanics alerted him to the fact that the machine was functioning as it should. If everything was working, and Vlad had no doubt that it was, then Twelve would be in for a hard time soon.

The program was set to target and destroy any ecto-signature that was not his own, and do whatever it takes to destroy it. It would spare nothing to get the ghost out of the way, and that's what Vlad wanted. Perhaps this would be enough to destroy him. And if it wouldn't destroy him, then maybe it could be enough to severely weaken the clone.

He hoped.

Vlad wandered over to his large picture window, staring out over his courtyard where he could see the numerous shields and now his weapons popping up, and the smaller shape of Twelve pushing through the shields and making his way ever closer to Vlad's mansion.

"And so it begins…"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **

So schools out. And when the song goes: "_School's out_ _forever!_" They mean that literally for me. I graduated college and now I'm kind of in that weird space of being an adult and still trying to be a kid. I have to find a full time job and everything.

RESPONSIBILITY.

But at any rate, the task of looking for a full time job/working said full time job will _come first_; that means that stories may be permanently on a TEMPORARY hiatus. Meaning slooow updates.

But not abandoned. This one and _Destinies Entwined_ are almost over, gasp! so I have to finish them. It's a MUST!

And that's also why you get everything I've written over the last 15 weeks. Yay!


	14. Chapter 14

_Almost… there… _Twelve made his way closer to the mansion, one barrier standing in his way between him and revenge. Vlad would pay; Vlad was going down and _he_ was going to make sure of it. The bastard that took everything from him—but also gave him everything?—was going to pay for his crimes and he was going down _now_. This couldn't wait another minute.

Putting his hands against the barrier, Twelve bit his lip, his flaming hair crackling as he summoned more power than he'd used in a while, testing the boundaries of the barrier, looking for that one split in the fabric that would let him in to tear it apart. Everything had one, one weak spot that could be exploited and torn into, ripping it apart. But Vlad had always been meticulous, unlike his Dad—unlike _Jack Fenton_, the things Vlad did had purpose, and they weren't released from testing until every last bit of it was tried and true. Which was why the clone had been so surprised to get through the first barriers without much issue. It showed a lack of consistency that wasn't native to Vlad's way of working; it was wrong and strange in so many ways. But he wasn't going to complain about it.

"Vlad!" Twelve snarled, slamming his fists against the barrier, letting his power surge out of it. The greenish-blue energy surged around his hand and cascaded up the shield. The energy barrier flickered, but didn't die out. "You _coward!_"

He could see Vlad from here. The bastard sitting smug in his mansion, looking down at Twelve in the courtyard.

Twelve growled to himself and paced. He'd have to bide his time for now. "You'll be out eventually," he said to himself with a smug little grin. "I know you will."

* * *

><p>"Tucker, did you do what I asked?"<p>

He knew Tucker nodded behind him, but he wasn't going to turn to look. He couldn't take his eyes off of the pacing form below. It was like a tiger trapped in a cage. A dangerous tiger with deadly powers.

"I did, Danny." Tucker said quietly, exchanging a glance with Sam that Danny didn't see.

"I never thought we'd be helping Vlad out." Danny said with a slightly bitter laugh. Vlad was the last person Danny would ever willingly wish to help. If anything Danny would normally be happy to just let Vlad handle things on his own, and watch the aftermath with a sadistic smile. But Danny didn't want Twelve to win. Especially since looking down at him, Danny was remembering the face of his nightmares.

"Danny…" Sam started, knowing how hard this was going to be for her half-ghost friend. "You don't—"

"It's okay, Sam." Danny finally tore his gaze away from Twelve and turned back to his friends. "Just… follow the plan. I'll be back soon, once everything's done with."

Sam and Tucker could only meekly nod as their friend shifted forms. Phantom stood before them now and he offered them a sad smile. "I promise I'll be okay," He added, his echoing voice quiet. And then he was gone, leaving his two friends to worriedly wait for things to work out.

* * *

><p>Vladimir Masters didn't like having to rely on Daniel Fenton. He didn't like it one bit. But he knew without a doubt that Twelves powers had gone out of control. The warning sirens were blazing and he knew his shield would not last much longer. Twelve was pacing like an angry tiger, his eyes locked on the window Vlad had moved away from. The older man couldn't look out and into his creations eyes anymore. The boy had been twisted by hate and confusion so much that he was no longer the boy he'd created.<p>

He was a monster.

Whatever was left of the boy's hair was currently flaming. It's white fire licking at the air in a menacing way as he slammed his fist against the shield yet again. Vlad cringed when he heard his equipment groan, and knew that whatever power was left in the shield was about to go out.

But he had sensed, on the very edge of his senses the presence of Daniel. And he knew that while Twelve was strong, he was no match for himself _and_ Daniel. If Daniel would cooperate, things would work out. They'd get rid of this, and hopefully Daniel wouldn't turn on him afterwards.

Vlad suddenly felt the warm fingers of his ghost sense crawling up his throat and he clamped his mouth shut to keep the vapors from escaping. "You've really _fucked_ _up_ this time, Vlad." Danny's voice was a low growl as the teenager materialized in the room. Vlad was grateful that Danny learned from observation, or the boy would never have learned teleportation.

"I know," Vlad said quietly, his gaze drawn again to the window as he heard Twelve shout. The clone could sense Danny there now, and it enraged him.

"The hell were you thinking?" Danny snarled, stepping up to Vlad. The boy had grown considerably recently. He was now eye level with Vlad and the older man thought that he would soon surpass him. "What the hell did you _do!?_"

Danny was furious, and Vlad knew that the boy deserved the answers he demanded. Turning his eyes from the window to the enraged hybrid, Vlad began to speak. "When my attempts to get you to join me failed, I was desperate." Vlad explained quietly, "And I was _so close_ to perfecting my clones last time, I had to try again." He ignored Danny's growl of outrage and continued with his story.

"I knew all I needed was some DNA from a mid-morph state, and I thought, _why not use my own?_ I didn't know why I hadn't thought of it before; it seemed like such a good idea. Taking some of my own DNA and preserving it, I worked on whatever little bit I had left from you." Vlad paused, closing his eyes.

"I was able to locate and remove the DNA strand from Jack, removing the abomination from your genetic code, and I incorporated my own." The process had taken him _years_ to do, but he had been ecstatic when it had finally worked. "And then Twelve grew. He was perfect. He was stable and grew at an exponential rate. As he was growing, I developed a neurotransmitter that could place artificial memories in his mind."

Vlad explained the process to Danny though he was sure that the boy was unable to understand most of it. He explained the memories he'd created and placed, everything that he and Daniel had gone through was placed in as well. He explained that he didn't want to have anything too _easy_, so the memories of the multiple fights Danny and he had had were essential to the clone's mental development.

"Things started to go wrong though, when he matured. He was too depressed. He barely responded and wouldn't talk much to me." Vlad sighed heavily. "And then he ran away. And I knew then that what I had done had pushed his mind over the edge. I lost him."

"Do you _know_ what you've created!?" Danny demanded, snarling. He was beyond furious, and while Vlad didn't know _why_ aside from the fact that they now had a battle on their hands, Vlad didn't want to push him.

"I created a dilemma that we need to deal with," Vlad replied cooly, his eyes narrowed slightly in challenge.

"That's _not_ the issue!" Danny yelled before turning away from Vlad and pacing. This was too much for him. Vlad wanted to ask what was plaguing the boy's mind, but he sensed that that would be inappropriate.

Danny paced again before going over to the window and making a face at Twelve. "My friends are out there, a safe distance away." He said bitterly, and Vlad wanted to ask what they were doing so close to such danger. He knew the trio often fought ghosts together, but this ghost was unpredictable and dangerous. More so than any other one that haunted Amity Park.

"I had Tucker set up some of my dad's inventions. It's like the Specter Deflector—remember that belt?" Vlad nodded that he did. In fact, it was a painful memory and one he'd hope to forget. "My dad thought that that idea was so great, that he made ones that could cover _areas_. It's like a shield, but its more painful."

"Is that a good idea, Daniel? After all, we'll be fighting Twelve and we'll be in range of the attack." Vlad inquired, and Danny frowned at him.

"I've thought of that," he said, looking slightly annoyed. Whether his annoyance was at his oafish father of at Vlad himself, the billionaire didn't know. "And I've tested it. It doesn't hurt so much in human form. More of a… tolerable itch, I guess." Vlad raised a brow. Any sort of discomfort would be annoying, but he supposed he could live with it.

"Twelve doesn't have a human form," Vlad mused quietly, looking past Daniel and out the window where his shield was starting to flicker. "I've known that since he first started to grow. His human form is more of a disguise than anything else."

Danny nodded, biting his lip as he looked over the lawn. "I know. That's why we've set it up as we have." He said quietly. Twelve wouldn't be able to escape the shield that the trio had set up; it would most likely hurt him more than they could.

"You realize this is going to hurt, right?" Danny asked quietly, and Vlad almost thought he saw a flicker of doubt on the boy's face.

"Yes, I know…" Vlad answered. "But it's this, or let him become powerful enough to terrorize others."

Vlad saw Danny's jaw set, and his lips were pressed into a hard line. "No." Danny finally said with conviction. "Never again."

* * *

><p>The barrier hadn't lasted much longer. It let go with a blast from Twelve and a slight explosion as Vlad's transformers blew and the house lost power. Quickly, Danny and Vlad transformed, flying out of the house to confront the clone before he got into the castle.<p>

"It's time for some_ fun_!" Twelve hissed as the halfas landed before him. Danny growled, his fists lighting with energy as he shot a punch at the clone's head; Twelve ducked, running forward and ramming his shoulder into Danny's stomach. Danny gasped, the air driven out of his lungs as he was flung back with Twelve's charge. The clone grinned to himself, lighting his body with energy and shocking Danny. The younger halfa screamed through clenched teeth, his muscles seizing.

Danny felt like the pain was going to last forever. His body writhed and his arms twitched. Danny didn't know how long he could take this. The pain seemed like it was consuming him; setting him on fire and he didn't know if he'd ever get out.

Suddenly though, it was gone. And Danny gasped in relief as he feel to his knees, coughing and sputtering. His eyes watered and he blinked hard to try to get the tears out, but they would regenerate as soon as he got rid of them.

Shaking his head to try to clear it just ended up with more pain and Danny wiped the ectoplasm that was trailing out of his lips with disgust. Finally able to see, even if his vision was a little blurred, Danny looked up and blinked.

Vlad and Twelve were engaged in a battle in the air. They were furiously dodging and throwing ectoplasm blasts at each other, and every so often one would hit the other. Regaining control of his body, Danny got back to his feet and flew up to the fray, tackling Twelve when the clones back was turned.

"Danny!" Twelve snarled, writhing under neat him and punching at him with charged fists. "Let me go!" Twelve tried his electrocution trick again but Danny quickly turned intangible. Twelve stopped and glared at him. "Danny, we're like brothers," Twelve said quietly, glancing back at Vlad who landed a few feet away.

Danny paused, his fist raised and his power sparking across his knuckles. Brothers? "We're _nothing_ like brothers." Danny said sadly. If Twelve had been given different circumstances; if he had chosen another path, things might have been different. As it was, Twelve was nothing but an enemy.

Twelve was just like Dan.

"We could have been!" Twelve pleaded, and Danny felt a growing itch in his ghostly core. Deciding to ignore it for now, he listened to what Twelve had to say. "If you had just let me explain things could have been different." Danny felt a pang of regret. He _hadn't_ let Twelve explain himself when he suddenly appeared in the young man's bedroom. He'd jumped to conclusions and attacked him.

"We could have figured something out. Something other than this." Twelve continued and Danny narrowed his eyes slightly. Were Twelve's eyes glowing a bit brighter?

"I could have made things right for you, Twelve." Vlad said quietly as he approached the two. Danny still hadn't let Twelve get up, but for now the fighting had paused. "I was going to be the father you needed; that you deserved."

Twelve's eyes narrowed in hate at Vlad and he spat in the man's direction. "A _father_?" He hissed the word out like it was a poison. "You are _nothing_ of the sort."

Danny didn't need to look at the billionaire to know that the man had hurt written all over his face. Knowing that that would just fuel Twelves vengeance, Danny gave the clone a light shock to keep him down.

The itch in Danny's core was becoming more apparent and he shifted with discomfort. He could see out of the corner of his eye that Vlad was rubbing at his own chest. He didn't have time to think about it before he felt something shift under him.

Looking down, Danny quickly gasped in horror and backed off. Twelve was no longer solid. Twelves face elongated and his eyes were glowing fiery red. His body distorted and grew. Danny backed off, bumping into Vlad as the two of them stood still and watched as Twelve grew.

He was easily over ten feet tall at this point and still growing. The itch in Danny's core exploded into pain and he gripped at his chest, doubling over. He knew what it was. It was his ghost sense going crazy as the clone's power doubled and redoubled.

Twelves laughter spilled out of his jagged lips. His body was made of ghostly fire, and Danny didn't know what chance they had against him now.

Twelve finally stopped growing. Danny estimated him at twenty five to thirty feet tall, his body still shimmering with ghostly fire. His laughter was a deep baritone that shook the ground under his feet and Danny fought to stay upright. He and Vlad shared a look.

"Well…" Danny said, his hand still pressed to his chest to try to alleviate some of the pain Twelves powers were giving him. "…The bigger they are, the harder they fall…right?"

* * *

><p>Sam and Tucker watched with open mouths as Twelve grew. It wasn't something they'd seen before and it was a little frightening to say the least. The ghost was now so much more powerful, and they were quite worried about their friend.<p>

"What if Danny's plan doesn't work?" Tucker asked, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as they watched their hero friend fly up to confront Twelve. "I mean, this is putting a major kink in it…"

Sam nodded, her hands balled and placed lightly against her stomach in worry. Neither of them wanted to see Danny hurt, and they both had to wait for his signal before they could help him. "Do you have everything hooked up and synced to your PDA?" Sam distantly heard herself ask. She was trying to focus more on the battle than what Tucker was saying. Her worry for her friend was clear in the way she held herself.

"Of course. I had it ready shortly after Danny went to see Vlad," Tucker answered quietly. Somehow he knew that his friend wasn't really listening to him. He didn't mind so much, considering the situation. "As long as Danny doesn't use the Wail, I think he'll be okay," Tucker added, as much to himself as it was to Sam.

Danny's Ghostly Wail would leave him powerless and defenseless. Twelve would be able to do away with him unless Vlad was somehow able to protect Danny. The chances of that were also minimal considering Vlad's dislike for Danny.

"All we can do is hope, Sam." Tucker said quietly, taking his friends hand in comfort. The Goth girl hardly seemed to notice as she stared at the battle taking place before them.

After they waited for what felt like hours, they saw Danny pull back from the fight, gathering energy and sending it up where it exploded in the sky. Their signal. They watched as he and Vlad fled from Twelve, and changing to human form as Tucker quickly pressed a button on his PDA.

Sam swallowed nervously, watching as the devices quickly sent out a field of anti-ghost energy. The end of the barrier came to just above Twelves hips and the clone let out a deafening roar of pain and anger.

"Come on, Danny…" Sam murmured to herself anxiously, balling her fists and holding them to her chest.

* * *

><p>Danny and Vlad had fought hard against Twelve, and Danny had more than a couple bruises to prove it. But it was time to bring out their secret weapon against the over powered clone. "Vlad," Danny said as he moved away from Twelve, gathering energy in his hands to set off the signal. "I'm going to let them know."<p>

Luckily Vlad didn't need to be told twice and the older man dove quickly to the ground. Sending out his ectoblast caused Twelve to look at it then at Danny in slight confusion. He didn't understand what Danny had done, but it didn't matter. He was going to crush them anyway.

Danny darted down to be by Vlad's side, changing to human seconds before the devices activated, trapping Twelve where he stood. The clone let out an earth-shaking roar of pain and anger, and Danny and Vlad took an unconscious step back. Facing this goliath was nerve wracking, and even Vlad was feeling shaken from it.

Twelve continued to scream and Danny and Vlad exchanged a look before Danny's eyes widened. If Twelve was indeed his clone, he could probably harness the power of his Ghostly Wail, and if he used that at his current power level and height…

Danny suddenly didn't think that this power barrier was such a good idea anymore. The more Twelve screamed the more his ears hurt—and not the normal kind of hurt. "Um, Vlad?"

"Yes, Daniel?" Vlad was feeling it too, Danny could see him shifting and cringing as Twelves screams gained in pitch.

"You might want to block your ears." Danny bit his lip nervously, taking another step back from Twelve. This was about to get really bad, really quickly.

As Danny feared, Twelves screams gained enough volume to turn into the Ghostly Wail. The clone had enough sense to turn his head, angling it down and the powerful vibrations tore through the courtyard and blew Vlad's castle to shreds.

"Butter biscuits!" Vlad cursed but didn't have much time to lament his destroyed home as Danny quickly knocked him over, getting him out of the way of the sound waves as Twelve continued his assault. Danny was caught in it, however and the young man screamed in return. His screams didn't reach the level of the Ghostly Wail, but it did cause him to collapse on the ground, twitching. His ears started to bleed a ghastly mix of blood and ectoplasm. The pain in his head was astounding. His vision was narrowed to a dull point and all he could hear was an annoying ringing.

He could feel himself twitching and moving, his fingers and toes cramping as they clenched and unclenched of their own accord. He was in so much pain he didn't know how to handle it. Was _this_ what he did to other ghosts when he used his Wail on them? He only used it in emergencies, but it must hurt them something awful if it was doing _this_ to him in human form.

He could feel the shock of the sound waves moving around him, but he couldn't tell where, or how far away. He could only feel the vibrations and the pain masked a lot of that, too.

He felt like he was going to die.

* * *

><p>Vlad could only stare as Daniel knocked him out of the way of the clone's powerful attack. He could only stare helplessly as Danny writhed in the aftermath of it, his body contorting as his ears bled. Why had Daniel sacrificed himself to protect Vlad?<p>

Well, the logical answer to that would be Daniel's obsessive habit to protect others. Unfortunately Vlad couldn't get to Daniel while the attack was still on him so all he could do was wait. Twelve had already proven that their attacks were no good, having brushed them off like mere insects.

He was at a loss as to how to beat him. The great Vlad Plasmius was at a loss! Oh, if his allies could see him now…

But he had more pressing matters on his hands. Finally the attack moved away from the boy, letting the billionaire rush to his side. To his dismay, he found Danny unresponsive and still stuck deep in a fit resembling a seizure.

"Daniel!" He called out, trying to grasp the boys shoulders but Danny was writhing too much. "Daniel, can you hear me!?" He doubted it; he could barely hear himself over the noise Twelve was making.

Vlad cast an angry glance over his shoulder at the clone, irritated that something he'd created was doing so much damage to both his property and the boy before him. It would have been a different story if Vlad had ordered this to happen, however.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at Twelve. Something was off. The clones body of ghostly fire was growing dimmer, and Vlad thought he saw some drops of ectoplasm falling off of him.

Was Twelve losing control of his form? Clones had always been unstable; they weren't able to maintain their solid form for long and often dissipated back into piles of ectoplasm long before they could do anything worthwhile. The possibility that Twelve would dissipate was high, leading Vlad to the assumption that all they had to do was wait him out.

If he could tire himself out, he would end himself. Vlad cast a worried look at Danny, whose thrashing had eased into a more subtle twitching, his eyes open, but distant. The annoying itch in Vlad's chest was growing stronger again. "Daniel…" Vlad desperately tried to get Danny out of his pain educed coma, but was unable to.

He felt the ground shake as a blast came towards him and he desperately put up a shield, knowing that if Twelve's Wail hit him, they'd be done for. The piercing noise wasn't unbearable unless in its direct path, and his shield helped somewhat. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow as he tried to keep the two of them protected while trying to ignore the pain from Tucker and Sam's attack. "Wake up, Daniel…"

* * *

><p>He didn't know what had come over him; what this power was. But it was something amazing and he intended to use every bit of it to his full advantage. <em>This power<em>, his voice thought, as he felt his body expand and explode into flames. _This power is glorious._ He didn't know what was happening, but he was much more powerful than he'd ever been. Nothing hurt. The tiny blasts his adversaries shot at him did nothing to temper his power. They barely even dimpled his skin. He was all powerful.

And then they were retreating. Twelve was a little confused as to what was happening, but he didn't care too much. The world was his. Those insignificant ants landed by his feet and he wanted to lift his foot to squish them. He would have too, if the smaller one hadn't sent out some sort of beacon.

Twelve had felt a flicker of confusion before a searing pain had started up. It felt like someone was repeatedly stabbing him in the legs, sawing them off with power tools.

He started to scream. Scream as well as he could with his new body. He felt it coming; building up in power as his breath escaped his body. He felt it come out like powerful waves and knew that this weapon was one he had to use against his adversaries. Turning it against the two ant-like halfas, Twelve caught Danny in his blast, making sure to hold him in it before he was forced to turn away from the repeated assault on his senses.

The outburst was making him weaker, but he couldn't stop. The power was just flowing out of him now, consuming him. He was stronger than he'd ever been, and it was amazing. He was going to battle his enemies and win. He was all powerful.

The smaller one, the one he'd been modelled after was writhing in pain and Twelve only dimly registered it. He aimed his blast at the mansion in the distance, obliterating it and the bad memories it contained.

Twelve felt funny. His head was swimming and his body felt weird. He knew this feeling. He'd had it before, and he had a nagging feeling that he knew what it meant. But for the life of him he couldn't place the feeling. He shrugged it off as a simple annoyance.

He would destroy Vlad and Danny, even if it meant his own destruction.

* * *

><p>Things were barely coming back. His senses were still blurry, and his hearing was simply gone. But he was waking up. The world was a tinted pink and he frowned in both confusion and pain. He looked to his side, noticing Vlad standing there, holding a shield above him. Danny's confusion lessened, but with it came an onrush of memory. His situation was coming back at him in a rush and he sat up with a gasp.<p>

His head swam with pain and dizziness, but he struggled to his feet. "_Vlad?_" He heard the words clearly in his own mind, but with his hearing being blown out. The billionaire clearly got the message though, because he turned around, frowning at him before saying something Danny couldn't hear.

Vlad seemed to understand that Danny couldn't hear, though he didn't seem too thrilled with it. The halfa motioned to his own ghost form, indicating that Danny should change.

The younger halfa did so with a bit of a struggle. His head was still spinning, and his powers seemed to flicker weaker than a candle flame; but he grasped it and coaxed it to life. It took a second, but his powers responded and changed him to Phantom form.

Vlad let the shield drop and Danny felt the effects of his friend's trap. The pain was almost enough to knock him out of Phantom form, but he held on stubbornly. He needed it to defeat Twelve. Vlad was motioning to something, his mouth moving and forming words that Danny couldn't grasp without sound.

But his arm motions were enough to drag his attention away from the older man, and to the berserk clone. Danny gasped when he noticed the large puddles of ectoplasm that were leaking out of Twelve.

Of course! The clone was unstable. He'd _always_ been unstable. That was partially why he was able to get so powerful now. Because his core hadn't had a proper foundation to grow on, it was now leaping well past it's capping point and destroying his body from the inside out. They didn't _have_ to fight him. He was going to destroy himself.

But, Danny thought to himself as he turned and watched the destruction Twelve's Ghostly Wail was causing. The clone could not control his power, or so it seemed. It was going to destroy too much of Vlad's property and perhaps even beyond that.

Danny ground his teeth, unsure of what to do next. They had to find a way to stop Twelve, and Sam and Tucker's attack seemed the most effective so far. But they couldn't just sit back and let Twelve do what he wanted till the attack destabilized him enough to take him down. They had to fight.

Starting to float, Danny charged his hands with energy. Maybe a constant attack would help diminish Twelve's energy, but at the same time if Danny's own experience with his Wail was any indication Twelve would soon exhaust himself.

The power was overwhelming at the best of times; for an unstable clone it was a death sentence. Danny watched the flaming body that used to be Twelve with a mix of sadness and regret. It wasn't Twelve's fault he turned out this way; if anything, Danny should be blaming Vlad. But he didn't have it in his heart to do that.

Letting himself land on his feet again, Danny sadly watched Twelve. The clone would soon wear himself out anyway.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** If you're thinking I took the easy way out with this fight, you're right. I wasn't sure what to do once Twelve became over powered, and you'll see how he goes down in the next chapter, which hopefully is the last. I'm tired of writing this story.

I'm also going to try to update all my stories faster. They're almost done, and I've got some ideas sitting on the back burners that I _really _want to start. I promised myself no new stories till all of mine are finished.


	15. Chapter 15

Danny had been right. Twelve had worn himself out quickly. Great globs of ectoplasm fell off of him, making wet _thwacking_ sounds as they hit the ground. Danny stood back, bile rising into the back of his throat as he watched the clone start to dissolve.

Twelve was brought back to his original size, a howling noise starting up in his throat as he started to boil. His skin shifting and moving under the surface, rolling like waves. Danny and Vlad exchanged a look. They both took a step back, looking the clone over. His angry red eyes locked on him, his body starting to convulse.

"I—" He started, but was cut off as he coughed, a red bubble coming out of his mouth and falling, hanging out and attached by a string and Danny's eyes widened in horror. Twelve's intestines were starting to come out of his body. A convulsion and a cough brought out the rest of his stomach and Twelve screamed in pain. His skin was dissolving, pooling around his feet. The remaining intestines burst from his belly, splattering the ground in front of the two halfas.

Danny didn't want to look, but found he couldn't look away. As disgusting and horrible as this was, it was enticing and hypnotising. Panic flashed across Twelves face and he reached out a desperate hand, hoping that the two standing before him would help him; take him out of his pain and misery. But it was too late. They didn't know what to do for him.

There was a few more agonizing minutes as the pool of ectoplasm grew larger before Twelve's whole frame shook. He had time for a strangled gasp before his body exploded.

Danny quickly brought an arm up, shielding his face as droplets of ectoplasm hit him. Grimacing, he looked at the spot where Twelve had stood mere seconds before and finally let his stomach win. He gagged, moving away from Vlad and throwing up whatever he'd eaten that day. Seeing Twelve go was so much _worse_ than the first time he'd seen clones die. Much more horrible and grueling; it was too much for the boy. He fell to his knees before his sick, coughing and gagging as the images replayed in his mind.

Twelve was dead, and had died in the most painful way the boy could imagine.

Danny started to sob, it wasn't _fair_ that he'd had to die like that. It hadn't been Twelve's fault that things had played out the way they had. It wasn't fair that he'd been in so much pain before he died. He felt a hand on his shoulder and was shocked to find Vlad there. The billionaire gave him a small pat before removing his hand, and Danny struggled to get himself under control.

He'd let Vlad see him be weak, and it bothered him. But given the circumstances, he felt he had a right to react as he did. "Well," Vlad spoke, breaking the slightly awkward silence. "Now that ah, that's done…" He murmured, turning to look at the destroyed landscape and the rubble that was his home. "I suppose you should get on back to your friends, hmm?"

Danny didn't know how long their supposed truce was going to last; it wasn't something they'd agreed on, so he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. "I'm um, sorry about what happened." He muttered, rubbing his arm and avoiding Vlad's gaze.

He didn't _really_ feel that bad. The man could afford landscaping and the rebuild, and he _had_ brought it on himself by having cloned Twelve. "I thought you were done with the whole cloning thing," Danny mentioned, brushing as much dirt and sick off his pants as he stood up straight.

"I am now," Vlad said seriously, again studying the destruction and aftermath of their fight with Twelve. "After this little fiasco—I never want to dabble in that again." Though if he hadn't used his own DNA to stabilize the ghost—_no_ he couldn't think like that.

"Good." Danny nodded, feeling the awkwardness of the situation weighing on his shoulders. He didn't want to stay here anymore. "Um, we're going…to go home now." Danny muttered awkwardly, backing away from Vlad.

The billionaire gave him an empty nod, turning away and pacing towards the spot where Twelve went down. Danny watched him for a second before turning and leaving, heading towards his friends.

"He going to be okay?" Tucker asked when Danny got close enough. "I mean, he seems pretty lost."

Danny looked back over his shoulder and shrugged. "I think so. I think he's just shell shocked."

Sam frowned. "I feel bad for Twelve," She muttered, leaning against Danny as they turned and started walking away.

"Why's that?" Danny asked quietly, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"Well, all he really wanted was a family," Sam said, looking down at the ground they were walking on. "He didn't choose to live like this. To have everything taken away from him."

Danny nodded, it wasn't fair that Twelve had had to go out like this. It wasn't fair that any of this had happened. But the fact of the matter was that it _had_ and they had to get on with their lives.

"It's over now though," Danny replied quietly. "He can't be hurt anymore, now."

"Yeah… I suppose."

* * *

><p>Ghosts were said to be the final stage of one's life. The final grasp at the world that one's body took. But it wasn't so. If you were lucky enough to become a ghost, but unlucky enough to have your body destroyed, you became air.<p>

That's how it was with Twelve. He was a free being now. Something more than a spirit, and one with the air. He had no more cares; no more worries. Everything was free and nothing hurt.

He felt remorse for what he'd done, but only a very small degree of it. Mostly, he felt amazing. He felt free and revived and better than ever. He felt himself drift and he saw the three wanderers. The one he was designed after was in the middle, and the woman was leaning on him. Somewhere in his consciousness he knew that he used to like her. Used to want her. But those emotions were gone now.

He swirled around them happily, brushing against them like a playful breeze. He was happy that they had finally helped him to go. Let him be free in a way he hadn't ever been. Happily twirling around them a few times he whisked himself into the air, gliding on air currents and laughing silently into the breeze.

He was free and nothing could bring him down.

He saw Vlad. His father's figure was so small and alone down on those planes. He went down to visit, playfully circling him and brushed alongside him. The mad didn't notice, or he chose not to react. Twelve felt badly for what he had done. He'd destroyed the property of the man who only wanted to love him.

But that was in the past now. He'd never known this kind of joy. This kind of freedom. He was loving it.

Circling Vlad one more time Twelve shot back into the air with a whoop.

_I'm free_.

* * *

><p>End.<p> 


End file.
